Dim Sums: Agricultural Markets in China

China's Ag Minister met with Iranian and U.S. officials last week. The contrasting reports on the meetings perhaps reveal who China thinks its friends are.  On February 15, 2023, Tang Renjian, Minister of Agriculture and Rural Affairs met with Iranian Agriculture Minister Seyyed Javad Sadati Nejad in conjunction with Iranian President Raisi's meeting with Xi Jinping. The meeting focused on Minister Tang's proposals for China-Iran cooperation in agriculture to support the "consensus" reached by Presidents Xi and Raisi, according to an article posted on the English Ministry of Agriculture site (it also appeared on the Chinese version ). Minister Tang proposed holding a policy dialogue, and suggested exchanges in dryland agriculture, new plant varieties, soil health, and trade cooperation. The Agriculture Ministry publicists thought it was very important for the world to see the Chinese agriculture minister joking around with his Iranian counterpart: On February 17,...

As China's campaign to root out grain corruption grinds through its second year, communist party inspectors have determined that a parallel system of watchers and enforcers is needed to stop the bribery and trickery that threaten national food security.  A year ago communist party inspectors celebrated their success in nabbing mostly low-level granary managers . Since then more cases have come to light, including take-downs of people at the very top of the sprawling grain reserve system. Zhang Wufeng--head of the government bureau that oversees grain reserves-- was expelled from the communist party in December . The Deputy Director of Sinograin--the state-owned company that manages the reserves was also caught. Last April inspectors in Heilongjiang Province--China's largest grain-producing region-- said they had investigated over 1000 officials and arrested 92 , including six in the Provincial grain bureau. Propaganda art promoting the grain corruption crackdown...