fyi
Ping
what kind of rice?
Making state-subsidized rice ethanol?
Lots of upcoming weddings?
They are in the middle stage of the 2011-2015 plan.
>>The plan is representative of China’s efforts to rebalance its economy, shifting emphasis from investment towards consumption and development from urban and coastal areas toward rural and inland areas - initially by developing small cities and greenfield districts to absorb coastal migration.<<
Central planners stockpile, meet quotas then sit on the couch. If they are planning for a migration back to the interior, they need to feed the masses.
This isnt likely a 400% jump in stockpile though. Several years ago already we had had a discussion here on FR promted by another large import year. During that period China was claiming to already have enough stockpile for everyone in their country for 7 years. Them being socialists that of course means that there is enough food for those they want to feed and they will let the other 50%+ starve but, that still means they must have a ridiculously large stockpile on hand.
I’m not saying those nice Chinese couldn’t be aggressive, but...
If I were a completely peaceful national leader watching the world’s breadbasket (the USA) doing whatever it could to drive food prices up because ethanol is so, so awesome, I’d be stockpiling basics, too. Makes economic sense. And if the food riots start and the USA can’t cope and you can send food to the starving masses...PR coup, and cheap influence purchased with foreign governments.
Maybe they’re building a Budweiser brewery.
The effect of too many Mormon missionaries to China?