With the Ukraine-Russia war threatening food security worldwide, China looks to expand its agricultural industry abroad to weather the storm. © Illustration by Hiroko Oshima

Farming out: China's overseas food security quest

As the Ukraine war sparks shortages, China looks to invest abroad to secure food supplies

BETSY JOLES, contributing writer, and CISSY ZHOU, Nikkei staff writer

August 31, 2022 06:00 JST

GENEVA/HONG KONG -- Drought has plunged water levels in China to a once-in-decades low. Some Chinese cities, reliant on hydropower, are going without air conditioning as temperatures soar and residents walk on dry riverbeds. But the most catastrophic consequences could be in store for the country's food supply. On Aug. 23, four government departments warned that the autumn harvest, which supplies 75% of China's grain, is under "severe threat" due to the drought. "The rapid development of drought superimposed with high temperatures and heat damage has caused a severe threat to autumn crop production," they said in a statement.