Leading think tank puts China ahead of Asian rivals in ensuring food security

China stands out among food importers in securing its global food supply, prevailing against a challenge faced by many nations that can lead to political instability, according to a report by London-based think tank Chatham House.

Compared with other food importers, including wealthy countries such as South Korea, Japan and Saudi Arabia, China had been much more proactive in reducing its food-trade risks by investing in overseas infrastructure and diversifying its supply routes, the report said.

The report assessed risks posed by 14 “choke points” – such as climate change – in the global food supply chain for dozens of major food-importing countries and regions.

Food security, it argued, is a strategic resource and significant in maintaining domestic political stability. For example, protests in 61 countries and riots in 23 countries accompanied the 2007-08 global food price crisis. In late 2010 and early 2011, a climb in food prices contributed to protests in North Africa – one of the world’s major wheat-importing regions – that eventually erupted into the Arab Spring.

The series of protests, which later led to the collapse of a handful of regimes, underlines the importance of food security in domestic politics, although many other factors also led to the uprisings, according to report author Laura Wellesley, a research associate at Chatham House specialising in food security.