By Ella Cao and Karl Plume

BEIJING/CHICAGO, April 14 (Reuters) - Global grain merchant Archer-Daniels-Midland ADM.N has begun shutting down domestic trading operations in China and laying off staff within its largest business segment as part of a global cost-cutting push, the company said in an emailed statement on Monday.

The move was meant to help ADM, a grains trading giant that has been embroiled in an accounting scandal since last year, "remain agile in a challenging environment," the company said in the statement.ADM's earnings have eroded due to slumping crop prices, inflation-reduced consumer demand and weak crop processing margins, with operating profit down 40% last year in its large Agricultural Services and Oilseeds (AS&O) division.

Rising trade tensions between Washington and Beijing are now stirring up new headwinds for ADM, which relies on trade between top farm goods exporter the United States and China, the top importer.

The phase-out of domestic trading at ADM's Toepfer Shanghai subsidiary was expected to conclude by the end of September, ADM said, adding that its other operations in Shanghai would not be affected.

The company did not disclose the number of layoffs, but a source familiar with the matter said job cuts would impact 40 to 50 employees, leaving only around 10 staff in the financial hub of Shanghai.

"The entire Ag Services and Oilseeds team in China has essentially been let go," said one source, referring to ADM's largest business segment.

ADM began layoffs in February as part of a broader cost-cutting drive to save $500 million to $700 million over the next three to five years. The company had posted its weakest fourth-quarter adjusted profit in six years.

(Reporting by Ella Cao and Amy Lv in Beijing and Karl Plume in ChicagoEditing by Matthew Lewis)

((karl.plume@thomsonreuters.com; +1 313 484 5285; Reuters Messaging: karl.plume.thomsonreuters.com@reuters.net/))