Feeding 1.4 Billion
Ever wonder how China feeds its massive population of 1.4 billion? A new interactive data visualization from the ChinaPower project organizes data on international trade in food products from 2005 through 2014 into a beautifully designed chord chart.
This easy-to-use representation enables users to quickly identify trends in agri-food trading relationships, providing insights into how the economies of the world’s biggest food traders have evolved over the past decade.
For example, discover how China’s food imports have risen between 2005 and 2015 from just $6 million to over $300 million. Twenty-four percent of U.S. exports in vegetable products were destined for China in 2014. Eighty percent of the value of those exports was accounted for by American soybeans that are in high demand in China.
The data snapshots are complemented on the ChinaPower website with detailed analysis on China’s domestic production, the changing dietary demands of its population, and the role international trade plays in supporting China’s food security.
For more information, you can watch this explanatory video of the interactive, or explore the data yourself on ChinaPower.
Matthew P. Funaiole is a fellow with the China Power Project at CSIS. His research focuses on power relationships and alliance structures in the Asia Pacific. Prior to joining CSIS, Dr. Funaiole taught international relations and foreign policy analysis at the University of Saint Andrews in Scotland, where he also completed his doctoral research. He currently holds an adjunct research position with the Foreign Policy Centre in London.
