December 15, 2008
Food economy increasingly becomes the center of attention:
- having 20% of the world population, China has only 7% of the global arable land
- Chinese strategies:
- stricter cultivation planning
- land reclamation
- promotion of agricultural science
- food production as another aspect of China´s policy with regard to Africa and Asia
December 01, 2008
Progress of industrialization and urbanization also affects border regions:
- example: Tibet - gradual industrialisation of rural areas
- addition to agrarian structures
- development of rich natural resources
- construction of a high-tech railroad from Tibet to central China
November 17, 2008
Interdependency of the development of urban and rural areas:
- special economic areas work as "catalysts" in this respect
- coastal regions as starting points (e.g., Shenzhen, Shanghai, Qingdao)
- expansion of special economic areas to larger regions (e.g., Yangtze River Delta, Zhujiang Delta)
- new goal: special economic areas in Mainland China
November 10, 2008
Prognosis for the end of the 21st century:
- shrinking of the world population
- result: better utilization of resources
- "one-child marriage" in China corresponds to this trend
- moreover: solving of social problems (better pension provision, longer working life, new pension scheme)
November 03, 2008
Structure of the Chinese population in 2006:
- urban population: approx. 562,120,000
- rural population: approx. 745,440,000
Currently available per-capita income:
- urban: approx. RMB 12,000 p.a.
- rural: approx. RMB 5,000 p.a.
Fulfillment of demand for consumer products:
- until 2000: bicycles/sewing machines/clocks/radios
- after 2000: refrigerators/TVs/washing machines/recorders
- today: computers/cell phones/cars/condos
October 27, 2008
Gradual adjustment of urban and rural areas (since 30 years):
- reprivatisation of agriculture
- abolishment of agricultural taxes
- According to the "World Agricultural Report", China´s autarchy regarding the supply of staple food has been
secured (2007).
- most notably: corn/oil plants/sugar plants/fruits/vegetables/tea
October 06, 2008
Railway as the most important means of transportation between urban and rural areas:
- 2008: investments worth USD 42 billion
- 2,400 km of "secondary tracks"
- 4,400 km of "new tracks"
- target for 2020: 120,000-km total transport network (today: 80,000 km)
- IPO of China Railways
September 22, 2008
Target of reforms: so-called "moderate prosperity"
- i.e. approx. 40 % of the per-capita income for food
- i.e. increasing consumption: housing, communication, mobility, education, health, and tourism
- indicator: increasing tourism:
- constitution: "right to vacation"
- up to 100 million trips abroad by Chinese citizens
- boom of domestic tourism structure
September 15, 2008
Current percentage of urban population already at more than 40 %
- comparison: global average 48 %, industrialized countries 75 %
- rapid growth of Chinese small and medium-sized towns:
1978: approx. 2,170 small and medium-sized towns
2007: approx. 20,370 small and medium-sized towns
- still strong variations:
East China: 45 to 50 % urban population
West China: approx. 27 % urban population
September 11, 2008
Process of urbanization in China
- Within the next 10 years, 100 million people will move from the countryside to the cities.
- agricultural productivity continues to increase (autarchy secured)
- 2007: approx. 45 % of the population lives in the cities (1977: 12 %)
- promotion of urban growth (promotion of market towns)
September 08, 2008
Extensive agrarian reform since the 1980s (end of the "cultural revolution" under Deng):
- Land and livestock are re-distributed to individual farmers
- Promotion of individual initiatives
- Official abolition of collective agriculture in 1984
This caused a major agrarian boom and considerable autarchy within the food economy!
September 01, 2008
Barely approx. 40% of the Chinese per capita income for nutrition
- strong increase of technical consumer good consumption:
- Alongside rationalization of the nutrition industry
- Agricultural Reform leads since approx. 20 years to an agriculture boom
- 2007: 500 Mio. to crop, 100 Mio. to sugar plants, 770 Mio. to fruits / vegetables, 35 Mio. to oil seeds,
6 Mio. to tea
August 28, 2008
Successful autarky efforts in the Chineses food industry
- Mainly grain, sugar plants, oil seeds, fruit / vegetable and tea
- Above-average development of meat production
- New: Utilization of agricultural areas in Africa and Asia!