According to Chinese media reports, when Xi Jinping inspected Meishan, Sichuan on June 8, he once again emphasized the issue of food security and emphasized that Chinese people should firmly take their rice bowls into their own hands. He also said that Chinese people should have Chinese grains in their rice bowls. In particular, Xi Jinping went to the largest pilot base for new rice varieties and new technologies in Sichuan, Meishan City, and asked to protect arable land and ensure food production. In addition, he also learned about the local promotion of rural revitalization and epidemic prevention and control.
It is reported that the focus of Xi Jinping’s only few visits this year is related to food security. For example, during his visit to Hainan in April this year, he emphasized the issue of seed security.
In this regard, Feng Chongyi told the reporter of this station: “What he said shows that China has a food shortage and a big problem with food supply. (If) China’s bowls only contain Chinese food, then many people in China will suffer from famine and hunger. I’m sick of it. Because China’s grain imports now account for a considerable proportion, China’s grain has long been unable to be self-sufficient.”
Feng Chongyi analyzed that the reason why Xi Jinping attaches so much importance to the food issue is related to his re-election at the 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China. “At the moment, everything is for his re-election in the 20th Congress. Don’t make a big turbulence before that, so that he can’t take the throne. This is his mind.”
The U.S. Department of Agriculture estimates that China is expected to stockpile 69 percent of the world‘s corn, 60 percent of rice and 51 percent of its wheat reserves by the middle of this year. China’s population is only 18% of the world‘s.
At a time when the Russian-Ukrainian war has caused global food tensions, and many places in China have experienced a severe economic impact after repeated lockdowns, some reports believe that the CCP’s move intends to control global food prices and increase its international influence. force.
Wu Ningkang of Yahoo News said that the 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China, which will be staged this fall, is at stake in Xi Jinping’s future political life.
He believes that the CCP’s policy of stockpiling grain is not just to keep the Chinese people fed. The CCP’s motivation is to use this to control global food prices, thereby enhancing its global influence, and intending to become a global superpower.
Since the outbreak of the Russian-Ukrainian War, the Ukrainian grain storage area, known as the “granary of Europe”, has been bombarded by the Russian military. Oleh Ustenko, an adviser to the Ukrainian president, said that the domestic grain reserves are only enough to last for one year, and now it is impossible to plant seeds, which will impact domestic and global supplies and cause a humanitarian crisis in Ukraine and even internationally.
Grain exports from Ukraine cannot be shipped out because the Russian navy has blocked Ukraine’s Black Sea ports. Nikolai Gorbachev, Chairman of the Ukrainian Grain Association (Nikolai Gorbachev) warned that if Ukrainian ports fail to resume exports, the next harvest from late July will be severely affected and food prices will be pushed up again.
In China, the strict dynamic clearing policy has deeply affected transportation. As long as dock workers are infected, the port will be closed immediately. For example, Shenzhen Yantian Port and Ningbo Zhoushan Port, which has the largest cargo throughput, were closed. The Shanghai epidemic broke out in March this year, and the operation of the world‘s largest port was sluggish, causing food prices to soar. As a result, more than 30 countries including Venezuela, Yemen, and Afghanistan were unable to purchase food and suffered severe famine.
Data show that in 2021 Russia and Ukraine will export more than a quarter of the world‘s total wheat exports. From 2020 to 2021, Russia will be the fourth largest grain exporter in the world, and Ukraine will rank third. Together, Ukraine and Russia will account for 22% of global grain exports.
One month after Russia invaded Ukraine, global wheat prices rose 21%, barley rose 33%, and some fertilizers rose 40%.
The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations pointed out that in 2021, global food prices will increase by an average of 28% annually, setting a record high in 10 years. The number of famine in Africa is an eight-year high, mainly due to rising food prices.