KEY MESSAGES:
- BETTER AGRICULTURAL DATA: FOR WHAT?
A public statistical system providing accurate data on Chinese agricultural markets is necessary both for China to monitor the efficiency of its agricultural support and to improve the governance of global food security.
- FAILINGS IN THE CHINESE STATISTICAL SYSTEM
The Chinese current statistical system faces important failings that prevent it from gathering accurate data, which severely affects both public and private players. The causes for these failings are rooted in the cadres evaluation scheme, in the level of decentralization of the government, in the fragmentation of agricultural production and in corruption issues linked to the national reserves system.
- MAKING DATA PUBLIC?
A key question that remains, beyond the one of accuracy, is the one of information displaying. It is currently unlikely that the Chinese government make a number of figures available to the public, for reasons linked to political stability within the government, where views differ among administrations.
- INVOLVEMENT IN THE WORLD AGRICULTURAL ORDER
The inevitable increase in the country’s reliance on global markets makes the new leadership willing to become more involved internationally. The desire to improve the agricultural markets information system domestically, the diversity of views within the government and the increasing need to be heard in international forums hold out the hope that the situation evolves.
