Xi Jinping Emphasizes 'Food Security'... Orders Expansion of Soybean Cultivation

[Image source=Reuters Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Beijing=Special Correspondent Jo Young-shin] Chinese President Xi Jinping stated, "The rice bowl of the Chinese people must always be firmly held in hand, and that rice bowl must be filled with Chinese grains." President Xi particularly mentioned soybeans, which have a high dependence on the United States, emphasizing food security.

According to Chinese media including the Communist Party's official newspaper People's Daily on the 27th, President Xi made these remarks at the Central Rural Work Conference held in Beijing from the 25th to the 26th. Standing Committee members of the Party Central Political Bureau attended the meeting.

At the meeting, President Xi stated, "Securing food is an important strategic issue," and pointed out that 1.8 billion mu (1 mu equals 243㎡, the red line for cultivated land in China) of farmland must be maintained to ensure stable food production and supply. He added, "Farmland is the lifeline of food production and the foundation for the sustainable development of the Chinese nation."

Xinhua News Agency elaborated that there have recently been cases of farmland being damaged from an economic perspective, and that the Chinese leadership emphasized maintaining the 1.8 billion mu farmland red line from the standpoint of food security rather than economic or regional perspectives.

President Xi specifically pointed out oil crops such as soybeans, stating that the cultivation area should be expanded to increase yields. It is known that China imports about 30% of its total annual soybean consumption from the United States. This special directive appears to consider that dependence on American food could be a weak link for China amid U.S.-China tensions.

In fact, Global Times, citing data from the National Bureau of Statistics of China, reported that this year the cultivation area for soybeans and other beans in China decreased by about 15% compared to the previous year, totaling 126 million mu. Despite China's annual soybean consumption of 110 million tons, it added that domestically cultivated soybeans amount to only 10 to 20 million tons.

Global Times reported that protectionism and unilateralism by some countries (the United States) are affecting grain and food trade, exposing certain foods and industries to risks. It also noted that unexpected situations such as bottlenecks in the global logistics system caused by COVID-19 impact prices.

Within China, the directive to expand the cultivation area of certain crops with high import dependence, such as soybeans, is analyzed as a food security self-help measure by the Chinese leadership in preparation for prolonged U.S.-China conflicts.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.