The world's top buyer of soybeans brought in 4.46 million tonnes of the oilseed in February, according to data from the General Administration of Customs. That was down 17 percent from the same month a year ago, checked by a hefty tariff on soybeans from the United States, China's second-largest supplier.
"The low figures were still mainly because of tariffs on U.S. soybeans," said Tian Hao, senior analyst with First Futures.
"Importers did not buy lots of Brazilian beans recently either, as they were waiting to buy U.S. soybeans, amid optimism of a final Sino-U.S. trade deal," Tian said. "What is more, there were no commercial benefits to bring in Brazilian soybeans as demand was flat due to African swine fever outbreaks."
Chinese buyers had been scooping up Brazilian beans but purchases slowed recently as Beijing and Washington made major progress in talks aimed at ending their lengthy trade dispute.
The February figures were also 40 percent down from 7.38 million tonnes in January, the data showed, as crushers slowed production during the Lunar New Year holiday. Soybean imports usually ease in the month of the week-long festival, which fell in early February this year, as businesses close.
For the first two months of 2019, imports fell to 11.83 million tonnes, down 15 percent from the same time a year ago.
Shipments this year have dropped as a highly contagious African swine fever outbreak has ravaged the world's largest pig herd, curbing demand for soybeans for use in animal feed.
China has reported 111 outbreaks of the disease in 28 of its provinces and regions since August 2018.
Still, China on Friday raised its forecast for soybean imports during the 2018/19 crop year to 85 million tonnes, up from 83.65 million in last month's outlook, after the country's customs agency suspended some imports of rival oilseed canola.
Even though African swine fever was reducing demand for soymeal in pig feed, canola imports were expected to fall, which would boost soybean demand, the agriculture ministry said in a monthly forecast.
China typically imports the majority of its oilseeds from the United States in the fourth quarter and early in the new year after the U.S. harvest comes to market.