China is importing more and more food to meet its domestic needs, which is causing anxiety at home and abroad after years of near domestic self-sufficiency. This is particularly true of grain, the US Department of Agriculture reporting a near doubling of Chinese imports in 2013 to 22.8 million tons.
There are some restrictions on imports. A prime example is last year’s rejection of 545,000 tons of American corn because it contained a genetically modified strain.