China Has a Secret Empire in Eastern Europe and South America...And No One Talks About It

This is some farmland in ukraine. A nation known as the breadbasket of europe. 10% of the global wheat market, 15% of the global corn market, and 50% of the world’s sunflower oil comes from fields just like this, all over the country. However, a significant portion of these fields are not owned by ukraine. They are actually owned by China.
One prominent example was as to why, is In 2013, Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps, a Chinese state-owned company, struck a deal to lease 7 and a half million acres of Ukrainian farmland—nearly 9% of all land in Ukraine

Think about that, one chinese company, owning almost a tenth of the land of another country. essentially becoming the largest landowner and food producer of Ukraine. And this is not just an isolated incident. This is has been happening all over the world for decades. And eventually as I started mapping all of this out, it became apparent, that china has a secret empire, that no one really talks about…

Once upon a time, in a world not yet dominated by smartphones, social media, and 24/7 surveillance, China was busy figuring out how to feed more than a billion mouths. The country was already a global economic powerhouse-in-waiting, but there was a nagging issue: the land situation back home wasn’t exactly what you'd call abundant. With 9% of the world’s arable land and 20% of its population, China was in a bit of a food pickle. The vast landscapes of rolling rice paddies and serene farmland couldn't keep up with an exploding population and a growing middle class with new culinary demands. As the decades passed and China continued to industrialize, urbanize, and devour its own resources, the leadership in Beijing had a eureka moment: Why not just buy the world’s farmland? Problem solved!

Let’s rewind a little to understand how we got here.

In the mid-20th century, China’s land and agricultural strategy was a very domestic affair. After all, the country was dealing with its own tumultuous history of famine and industrialization (thanks, Great Leap Forward). By the 1980s, things started to look better, with the country adopting a series of economic reforms that finally started to fill its grain silos. But even as the country’s agricultural output grew, the alarm bells started ringing in Beijing: Chinese soil, long exploited and degraded, was becoming less productive. Desertification was creeping in. Rivers were running dry. Add to this the rapid urbanization that was gobbling up arable land faster than you can say "ghost city," and the picture was becoming clear—China needed a Plan B.

2nd Channel:

Want some Advice? Ask Me on Reddit!

Personal:
On Tik Tok: @jackchapple

CONTACT:
OR (even better, and more likely to get to me): Send me a tweet or instagram DM.

Podcast:

[cabotcat]

U say “lease” farm land in Ukraine, then you say they own it. Leasing is not owning.

[jhaduvala]

How is this a "secret empire"? What about the empire of US hegemony? Your analysis is primary school.

[bobmorane]

Does leasing equate owning ? Since when ?

[albertwoodeasy]

NOT owned, your're misleading! contract purchase of produce from the lands designated. Same practice done thoroughout the agricultural world. Stop misleading! that's evil!

[francoisguyot]

Thanks for exposing China's leading leading role in the world's food production. If it wasn't for China, US inflation would have been soaring long ago and our banking system would have crumbled in 2008. What's more important, is that China boosted this world food production without ever firing a single shot, nor forcing others to wear their shirts inside out or not wear their hijabs... Some of China's BRI partners benefited a great opportunity for growth and are catching up in becoming themselves significant contributors of world's economics as well. They're passing the baton to other developing nations. Isn't it better than ransacking, corrupting, assassinating or flipping foreign entities or wiping out entire populations along the way using terrorist proxies? I personally can't hardly wait for America to lose its grip on Ukraine, Palestine and China wars. I can''t hardly wait for the world to tune to other sources of news than their mainstream media "fake news" as someone rightfully pointed out. Perhaps by then the US will have understood that it wasted its time boasting around its self defeating ideologies. Perhaps by then it will find its rightful place in the world" Just another strong nation among others, cooperating and evolving with more moderated ambitions and respect for its peers.

[bigeye]

They're also helping Africa to become self-sufficient in food, bravo

[alexandrebittencourttande]

I wonder what Peter Zeihan has to say about that... 🤔🤔🤔In fact I think I know. He'd say that "It is merely a matter of the American navy blocking the flow of global maritime trade for China to starve."

[Russell.Jolly.]

From AgWeb "Rounding out the top five are the Netherlands at 12%, Italy at 6%, the United Kingdom at 6% and Germany at 5%. Together, citizens in those countries hold 13 million acres, or 29%, of the foreign-held acres in the U.S. China owns less than 1%, or 349, 442 acres." So, don't be fooled by the disinfo presented in this video.

[huangec]

I'm really surprised that, as someone who makes videos on economics and business, you'd confuse a leasing agreement with ownership. Are you really that naive? Or are you aware of this but decided to present this anyway to paint China in a bad light?

[jimmycogsdil]

The rest is owned By Black Rock ~ more like the West has - much Much more

[gamingbigfilipp]

so much ai generated clips its actually annoying

[TY-kmhj]

Why is there AI vids and images in the vid? It's lazy and very out of place

[maxjek]

I think China has also been buying up foreign agricultural companies. China has also been growing and exporting vegetables and fruits to Singapore for decades. I live in Singapore. China is also trying to grow (tropical) durians in Hainan.

[philj]

I thought economics is the principle of willing seller, willing buyer. When China applies these principles the west calls it exploitation. Peace

[maxjek]

Money talks. China has also been buying up or signing joint ventures for sea ports all over the world that support their maritime silk road.

[hhydar]

This made me realize how much Pakistan (being an agricultural nation) can learn from China's agricultural sector through collaboration. But our dumb politicians and military can never

[TheKkpop]

50 billion is a very small amount to G7 which is not willing to lift Africa out of poverty. They are exploiting and enslaving as long as they remain poor.
China is willing to share its success stories with African.

[lightartorias]

Not a fan of the AI pictures/clips placed throughout the video. Seems cheap. But the information was interesting. Thanks for sharing.

[maxkraus]

"leasing"...."owning"...
thats how you throw away credibility

[Hystericall]

you dont seem to understand the difference between lease and owning. What's secret about it, it's just trade dude...win win.