China’s Dairy Imports Fell as Self-Sufficiency Rose

Chinese dairy imports fell by 30.6% year on year in July, according to a Fedeleche survey based on data from the United States Department of Agriculture. The decline included whole milk powder, whey, infant formula and cheese, categories that have traditionally accounted for substantial Chinese purchases from overseas suppliers.

The July result followed a broader reduction in inbound trade. During the first seven months of 2026, China’s imported dairy volume was down 4.2% from the same period in 2025. The figures mark a continuation of a decline that had already been developing over recent years.

China’s role in the global dairy market was particularly large in 2021, when it bought the equivalent of about 20bn litres of milk. Those purchases represented nearly 25% of international dairy trade, excluding trade within the European Union. The country was then the sector’s main source of demand on the global market.

The reduction in imports coincided with higher domestic milk production. China’s self-sufficiency rate reached 85% in 2025, one of the highest levels recorded in the past decade. The increase means that domestic output supplies a larger share of the country’s consumption and that Chinese buyers require fewer foreign shipments than in earlier years.

The data do not indicate a general collapse in dairy demand. Growing demand in South-East Asia has taken up part of the market space left by weaker Chinese buying. Global dairy trade is therefore seeing a redistribution of demand, with South-East Asian markets gaining a larger role alongside China.

For international dairy producers and exporting industries, the change affects the distribution of sales opportunities and the interpretation of global market movements. China no longer accounts for the same share of import demand as it did at the start of the decade, while its rising domestic production has reduced the extraordinary import volumes recorded in previous years.