Until recently, China had largely fed itself. Yet now the tables have turned, transforming China into the largest food importer in the world. Changing food consumption patterns in China have seen increasing demand for foreign consumer food brands outpaced by even faster growth in demand for imported agricultural products and feed stocks. This has happened despite a continuing stated policy goal of food self-sufficiency. The result has been an evolution in land use within China, greater integration of Chinese state-owned enterprises (SOEs) in global wholesale markets and a subtle shift of emphasis away from self-sufficiency within China, towards prioritizing the security of the Chinese supply chain.
China Roundup: Apple China is Hot-Again
Apple China is back in the reckoning; Walmart announces brave expansion plan and Alibaba gives the YunOS a renewed push.
First Response: a Crisis Management Strategy for China
As technology and consumers mature, firms in China are finding that a crisis management strategy is a must-have.
Chinese Outbound Investment in Food and Beverage: Growing Appetite
Chinese outbound investment in the food and beverage sector is growing with acquisitions of marquee brands like Smithfield Foods and Weetabix.
China Roundup: The Xiaomi-Ouya Tie-up; Heinz’s Baby Cereal Recalled; and Amazon’s Shanghai FTZ Entry
This week, Heinz recalled infant cereal after authorities found lead contamination; Xiaomi tied up with Ouya; Japanese auto part companies were fined for price fixing; and the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge came to China with Xiaomi CEO Lei Jun taking an ice water shower. In food and auto KFC and McDonalds would tell you how […]
Agriculture in China: Down on the Farm
Agriculture in China is still primitive and needs to be modernized quickly. But whose responsibility is that? Wang Liang is a farmer in the northeast province of Heilongjiang, China’s top corn producer. Despite fertile soil, Wang says the small size of his plot limits his crop yield and income. Both took a hit last year […]
China Roundup: The Alibaba IPO Filing; Zhaopin’s NYSE Listing; and Baby Formula Woes
The week that was: The Alibaba IPO, possibly the biggest IPO ever, is finally coming; online recruitment site Zhaopin plans to list on the NYSE; and in a move to boost the local dairy industry, China is clamping down on imports of milk products and baby formula. Alibaba’s IPO Prospectus Filing This was arguably the […]
Genetically Modified Food: A Clockwork Tomato
Will political and public opposition to genetically modified food stop China’s market from developing? It’s the Cold War again, only this time the caches are filling with grains, not missiles, and battles are mapped out on wet rice paddies instead of dry plains. At least that’s how People’s Liberation Army Major-General Peng Guangqian seems to […]
CKGSB MAGAZINE DECEMBER 2013: How will 3D Printing Impact Chinese Manufacturing?
You are invited to download the December issue of CKGSB Magazine. You’ll enjoy articles and interviews like: COVER STORY: 3D printing: Prophets of doom say 3D printing will overturn manufacturing in China. They’re both right and wrong. CHINA INSIGHT: All in the Genes: In just about 14 years of its existence, BGI-Shenzhen has become the world’s […]
Food safety and rice: ‘lemons’ in China’s dinner bowl
China’s recent food safety scare involving Hunanese rice resulted in a downturn in the entire rice market. If consumers had more information, would the market have suffered as badly? When one thinks of rice one does not often think of lemons except perhaps in the South Indian state of Tamil Nadu where lemon rice is […]
