China goes from hungry nation to farm giant that feeds the world

[Beidou2020]

While China feeds the world's largest population, it is also feeding starving people across the world, playing an important role in helping tackle global hunger, experts said.

"As a major responsible country, China is making full efforts to eliminate famine across the world," said Wang Sangui, a professor of economics and rural development at Renmin University of China.

Wang said increasing investment in, and support for, agriculture is guaranteeing the country's food production growth and making China a major supplier of food aid in the world.

He said 2005 was an important year, when the United Nations World Food Program officially ended aid to China, and the country has since emerged as one of the world's major food aid donors.

The latest WFP report, released in 2013, showed that China provided 243,000 metric tons of food aid in 2012, a more than 100 percent year-on-year increase that made the country the fifth-largest donor, after the United States, Japan, Brazil and Canada.

China continues contributing aid to the world, most recently in early October, when it provided $6 million in food aid to the WFP to help Sierra Leone, Liberia and Guinea, all hit by the Ebola virus, according to the Ministry of Commerce.

The WFP estimated that 1 million people in the three countries will suffer from food shortages in the coming months because of the disease.

Wang conceded that China has its own resource limitations, but he was optimistic about conquering them.

"Even though China itself has a huge population, shrinking arable land and water scarcity, authorities are increasing investment in and strengthening support to agriculture through technological innovation to maintain steady growth in food production," Wang said.

In the past four years, China planted hybrid rice, with an expected yield of 15 metric tons per hectare, in 8.7 million hectares of farmland in 17 provinces and regions, said Tang Ke, an official of Ministry of Agriculture.

Agriculture Minister Han Changfu noted in a news conference last year that China feeds 20 percent of the world population with 9 percent of the world's arable land.

"We are transforming from food aid receiver to major food donor, showing our achievements in agriculture," Han said.

 

[boomslang]

I wouldn't say 'the world'.

 

[Beidou2020]

I wouldn't say 'the world'.

As long as China diminishes the leverage the US holds over poor countries in terms of food aid, I don't care what you call it.

If the US doesn't want to export food to poor countries that don't follow US commands, China can step in and replace American food aid. Bang, US loses influence and China gains influence.

 

[IsaacNewton]

China should give some food to India then.

 

[Nike]

US is not willing to giving food aid to poor countries? like the ones who commanded by maniac like Kim in North Korea or some gangster in Sub-Saharan African

 

[Steakhouse]

US is not willing to giving food aid to poor countries? like the ones who commanded by maniac like Kim in North Korea or some gangster in Sub-Saharan African

So US only do charity with benefit? Let the poor suffer if the head of the nation not a stooges of the US? Precondition aids better no aid being given.

 

[Nike]

So US only do charity with benefit? Let the poor suffer if the head of the nation not a stooges of the US? Precondition aids better no aid being given.

Come on, you should know better if some rogue states leader like to corrupt foreign aid and accumulating power for themselves and not to mention they will not let any foreign aid worker to distributing aid directly to their people. Is no secret some of them even sell the food aid and bought advanced weapon to oppress their own people further

 

[Steakhouse]

Come on, you should know better if some rogue states leader like to corrupt foreign aid and accumulating power for themselves and not to mention they will not let any foreign aid worker to distributing aid directly to their people. Is no secret some of them even sell the food aid and bought advanced weapon to oppress their own people further

If there a will, there a way to directly distribute the aids to the people in need. US provide aids with a condition to overthrow the government in charge. Of course the government will use the aid to fund their military to fight against the rebel in their country.

 

[magic-007]

I wouldn't say 'the world'.

the world i think refers to be developing countries ,developed countries should be excluded.

 

[Nike]

If there a will, there a way to directly distribute the aids to the people in need. US provide aids with a condition to overthrow the government in charge. Of course the government will use the aid to fund their military to fight against the rebel in their country.

are you sure? that's will be the cause? how about some genocidal action like what happened in the past like Afghanistan Taliban group who once rules all over of Afghanistan, the rebels of Northern Alliance has the just cause to fighting against Islamist extremism idea of Taliban. Or how about the Sudanese government with Darfur case? or Liberian? Are US has no rights to refusing to delivering aid to those kind of government?

 

[Ryuzaki]

DIdnt i read China imports rice from Japan?

 

[Steakhouse]

are you sure? that's will be the cause? how about some genocidal action like what happened in the past like Afghanistan Taliban group who once rules all over of Afghanistan, the rebels of Northern Alliance has the just cause to fighting against Islamist extremism idea of Taliban. Or how about the Sudanese government with Darfur case? or Liberian? Are US has no rights to refusing to delivering aid to those kind of government?

US supported the Taliban against the Soviet. Taliban are ruthless with their Sharia law, there no report of of Taliban mass genocide the afghan during their short time ruling their country. US have every right to refuse any aid to any nation, all I said provide aids with political condition not the best way to help out the poor people.

 

[nvKyleBrown]

US supported the Taliban against the Soviet. Taliban are ruthless with their Sharia law, there no report of of Taliban mass genocide the afghan during their short time ruling their country. US have every right to refuse any aid to any nation, all I said provide aids with political condition not the best way to help out the poor people.

No.

The US backed mujahideen in Afghanistan against the USSR. That ended in 1992, at which time the USSR pulled out, US aid stopped, and several Afghan groups formed a new government. The new government was opposed by Gulbuddin Hekmatyar and his not so merry band of followers (who became the Taliban) - guys who had spent more time fighting other mujahideen than the Russians. Hekmatyar was backed by the Pakistani ISI in a bid to get more influence in Central Asia. There was a civil war (1996-2001) which the Taliban had mostly won when Sept 11th rolled around, and the US got back into the fight in a huge way. Pakistan was naturally not very enthused about this, but were not in a position to tell the US no (given that their air force was US built, and they had/have a high dependence on aid generally). Pakistan has dragged it's feet in the fight against the Taliban the whole time there has been a fight. Now the snake has turned and bitten them, perhaps they'll get on board a bit more. From some commenters here, there still seems to be a lot of sympathy for the Taliban though, so who knows.

Hekmatyar is not the only Taliban leader, they have their own internal squabbles as well and he has not always come out on top. But, he is still alive, more than some of the others can say.

So, no, the US did not support the Taliban. They supported rebels against the USSR puppet government, but there were a number of different groups. The Taliban did not even exist yet, that came later.

You'd be better off arguing that Pakistan supported the Taliban (because they did) and that some US dollars (aid to Pakistan) was likely leaking/being redirected to support the Taliban in spite of US wishes.

 

[Steakhouse]

No.

The US backed mujahideen in Afghanistan against the USSR. That ended in 1992, at which time the USSR pulled out, US aid stopped, and several Afghan groups formed a new government. The new government was opposed by Gulbuddin Hekmatyar and his not so merry band of followers (who became the Taliban) - guys who had spent more time fighting other mujahideen than the Russians. Hekmatyar was backed by the Pakistani ISI in a bid to get more influence in Central Asia. There was a civil war (1996-2001) which the Taliban had mostly won when Sept 11th rolled around, and the US got back into the fight in a huge way. Pakistan was naturally not very enthused about this, but were not in a position to tell the US no (given that their air force was US built, and they had/have a high dependence on aid generally). Pakistan has dragged it's feet in the fight against the Taliban the whole time there has been a fight. Now the snake has turned and bitten them, perhaps they'll get on board a bit more. From some commenters here, there still seems to be a lot of sympathy for the Taliban though, so who knows.

Hekmatyar is not the only Taliban leader, they have their own internal squabbles as well and he has not always come out on top. But, he is still alive, more than some of the others can say.

So, no, the US did not support the Taliban. They supported rebels against the USSR puppet government, but there were a number of different groups. The Taliban did not even exist yet, that came later.

You'd be better off arguing that Pakistan supported the Taliban (because they did) and that some US dollars (aid to Pakistan) was likely leaking/being redirected to support the Taliban in spite of US wishes.

In a way US provide all the fund and equipment to the various muhajadeen to wage jihad war against the Russian. One of the muhajadeen group later form Taliban defeat various group that fought control of Afganistan. Even bin Ladin was CIA operative during Afghan and Russian war.

 

[magic-007]

China should give some food to India then.

some indian friends think that india is superpower and needsnot to give ,and i think we china is not superpower,so....