Why China’s Economy Doesn’t Want American Corn Anymore | WSJ U.S. vs. China

The U.S. produces more corn than any other crop, with American farmers selling $5.3 billion of it to China last year. But China has spent years courting other producers as it is relying more on Brazil and other Latin American countries. China is also exploring ways to become self-sufficient long-term through embracing new technology and better farming education.

WSJ explains why growing its own grains has been such a struggle for China and how it has been trying to wean itself off of its reliance on U.S. corn production.

0:00 China’s corn demand
1:01 China’s struggles
2:57 International partnerships
5:59 Self-sufficiency

U.S. vs. China
This original video series explores the rivalry between the two superpowers’ competing efforts to develop the technologies that are reshaping our world.

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[summersnow]

On one hand, you sanction your customer, poke him in the eye, gather your friends to go against him and then you expect him to continue to buy from you? That's not just being naive, it's also plain arrogance.

[环球观中国]

in the long terms, china would import Corn from both US and Brazil, but in the current time, china doesn't want american corn anymore is just playing the de-risking game like the US did to China

[陈生-sh]

You stab someone, but you want them to be friendly to you.

[billberg]

I like the bit where the expert explains that a decrease in demand for corn could lead to fewer corn famers. That's the sort of insight we bring these guys on for.

[privacyvalued]

U.S. farmers don't have margins. They have debt...to companies like John Deere.

[wendellreis]

As a Brazilian guy let me explain to you what´s happening. Brazil has a large and diversified source of fertilizers, so there is not dependence on Russian or other country on that matter. Corn crops require almost nothing of labour force, hence the low minimum wage do not explain its competitiveness. What explain the Brazilian competitiveness is climate factors(two harvests a year), long tradition on commodity, improvement in infrastructure, high value of Dollar compared to the Real(Brazilian currency) and subsidies from Goverment to buy brand new equipments and machinery.
On top of that, China and US have been brewing a Cold War and others parts of the world will reap the benefits of it. As simple as that.

[kennethkueh]

Other countries will be more than happy to plant and supply China.

[Herodotus__]

As a BRICS member it is only Reasonable importing from Brazil. They dont even have to use the $ for transaction. Win win

[minibuns]

Most corn in the US is GMO due to Monsanto aka Bayer Chemical “Round Up Ready” corn.

[GraniteInTheFace]

I have been to Brazil. A lot of Chinese investments in roads and infrastructure has made Brazil more efficient in growing crops helping a lot of communities. However this has caused a lot of issues with deforestation as more Brazilian farmers want to get into the industry.

[Nperez]

It's cool when we become self reliant...but we call foul when others do the same 😅

[wisenber]

The US would have to produce what buyers want to buy. Foreign markets have shown that they do not want GMO corn.

[chuckguyitt]

The whole thing boils down to simply SUPPLY AND DEMAND. Brazil has a huge record breaking crop of corn this year and have to market it somewhere, they sell more cheaper than USA corn.

[charles]

Most that "corn" shown early in this piece with green husks and sorted by hand on the cob is sweet corn edible for humans. Field corn is harvested when the kernels have dried some and the husk is brown, Field corn has not been harvested on the cob for decades. Field corn is shelled in the combine.

Well, it's refreshing to see WSJ tells something about China as it is without idealogical nonsense.

[yapsiauwsoengie]

National Security reasons for sure
On the other hand, US has over capacity of it's corn production

[jeffstrehlow]

The fact that the Americans have become so hostile toward the Chinese in resent years, the Chinese would probably prefer to do business with someone else. So if the cost and quality is the same the Chinese might choose corn from a Latin American country.

[lord_of_love_and_thunder]

The US farm sector is a classic case of government overreach. American farmers should focus on high value and high quality crops, not mass quantities of staples which the market cannot adequately compensate.

[BradThompson-jdsh]

The ethanol plants "borrow" the corn, remove the starch to produce ethanol, and then send the corn on into the food supply as animal feed. The animal feed is even better for the animals without the starch. There is no ethanol versus animal feed, as the ethanol process still produces animal feed, but in a better form.

[ttemp]

same for Australian wine. Suddenly there is a billion dollar market up for grabs. All wine producing countries like France, S Africa, Chile all want to jump in the gap and do business there