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-Signs, Portents, and the Weather-

China prepares for 'severe, long-lasting drought'

2011-02-09

Prepare for a higher food bill.
BEIJING -- Chinese officials said Wednesday they are preparing for a severe, long-lasting drought in several parched provinces, causing wheat prices to spike on the prospect of the world's largest consumer putting pressure on a global supply that's already squeezed.

The U.N.'s food agency has warned that the months long drought is driving up the country's wheat prices, and now the focus is on whether China will buy more from the global market, where prices have already risen about 35% since mid-November.

The rising prices add to growing concerns in China about inflation, which the government sees as a potential source of social unrest. Average flour prices rose more than 8% in January from the previous two months.

Posted by:DarthVader

#11 ** LATEST **

YAHOO NEWS > NORTH KOREA REFUSING ANY MORE MILITARY TALKS WID SOUTH.

Back to POST-"CHEONAN/YEONGPYEONG" state of mil tension???

Posted by: JosephMendiola 2011-02-09 23:58

#10 See also PRAVDA > WILL RUSSIA BE ABLE TO DEFEND THE KURILE ISLANDS IFF JAPAN ATTACKS?

and

* TOPIX > MEDVEDEV SENDS NEW ARMS TO DISPUTED ISLANDS.

* CHINESE MILITARY FORUM > GUAM IS NOW THE NEW US MARINE BASE IN THE FAR EAST | [Marine Corps Times = April 2010] MARINE MOVE TO GUAM GETS FINAL APPROVAL.

* PEOPLE'S DAILY FORUM > [JAPAN to] STAND FIRM AGZ RUSSIA OVER DISPUTED ISLANDS | NATO KAN'S LAST, BEST HOPE?, to save an otherwise lackluster = failed? Admin as Japan PM???

ARTIC > PM NATO HKAN = argues that SOUTH KURILES RETURN/RECOVERY VEE RUSSIA IS ONE OF THE NATION'S MOST "IMPORTANT CHALLENGES" AS PER JAPAN'S FOREIGN AFFAIRS.

Alsoin ARTIC = AS CHINA GROWS + STRENGTHENS, IT WILL INCREASINGLY VIEW ANY "PERMANENT US COMBAT FORCE IN SOUTH KOREA + JAPAN" AS "UNACCEPTABLE".

* PEOPLE'S DAILY FORUM > COULD THE US FUEL A CHINESE CIVIL WAR?, vee continuing control of TAIWAN, + hi-tech ARMS SALES TO SAME???

Posted by: JosephMendiola 2011-02-09 23:48

#9 Gobi claims much. Deforestation, megga cities that no one may fill where buildings collapse, a chump of a currency, restless farmers with pitchforks, rivers so polluted that people die, predominately male population with pent up sexual prowess, and a drought.

And I thought we had problems.
Wish you happy. Seriously.

Posted by: newc 2011-02-09 22:04

#8 OOOOOPPPSIES, as per CHINA forgot to add NO WATER + NO BABES.

Actually, in decline andor not enough to meet demand, but youse get the point.

Posted by: JosephMendiola 2011-02-09 19:59

#7 See also FREEREPUBLIC > RELATED > [Long-term] DROUGHT THREATENS CHINA'S WHEAT CROP.

NET POSTERS = This affects the US not only as per Wheat = Grain Price flux, but also because the US NO LONGER HAS THE EXCESS FARMS, AGRIPLEXES OR GRAIN RESERVES TO OFFSET ANY SERIOUS LOSSES VEE CHINA.

versus

* SAME > RUSSIA VOWS TO ARM DISPUTED KURILE ISLANDS.

ARTIC = Technically is RUSSIA-VS-JAPAN, but IMO is covertly MORE ABOUT RUSSIA-N-JAPAN-VS-CHINA.

We must also bear in mind that since before, after, + since WW2 + end of Cold War + 9-11, RUSSIA = FORMER USSR has maintained dominant MilPolEcon influence in MONGOLIA, although China's ancient influence in same is starting to recover. Post-Soviet Russia also maintains strong influence vee many elements of the NORTH KOREA = DPRK GOVT.

MONGOLIA + KURILES [new RussBases] + SAKHALIN + KAMCHATKA [+ NORTH KOREA?] = RUSSIA.

* DRUDGEREPORT [old] > WIKILEAKS: USA FEARS SAUDI OIL [crude reserves] MAY HAVE BEEN OVERSTATED BY 40%.

Lest we fergit, NET [old] > RUSSIA'S + IRAN'S OIL RESERVES may also NOT be as large as repor on the MSM-Net.

NO FOOD + NO OIL-ENERGY + [Multiple = First Island Chain]STRATEGIC/THEATER DENIAL + [Nuke?]NORTH KOREA + {Nuke?]TAIWAN + US REGIONAL/EAST ASIA GMD-TMD + STRONG NUCLEAR JAPAN + STRONG NUCLEAR SOUTH KOREA? + ........@ETC. TO COME = ???? FOR RISING CHINA!?

Again, NORTH KOREA wants to stop starving while also deterring or preventing any MILITARY OR ECON TAKEOVER OF SAME BY CHINA - IT WANTS TO RE-UNIFY WID SOUTH KOREA, BUT SECURITY-MINDED CHINA IS UNLIKELY TO ACCEPT SUCH OR EXTENS BILATERAL COOPER, INTEGRATION BETWEEN THE TWO KOREAS AS LONG AS US MILFORS ARE IN SOUTH KOREA + JAPAN [includ Taiwan Issues, US out of East Asia]. China does not want a NUC DPRK, NUC ROK, NUC JAPAN, or NUC TAIWAN, espec when its PLA is unable to unilaterally = asymmetrically project its Mil Power anywhere in the First Island Chain save for along its soveriegn Coasts. CHINA
DESIRES SOLE BASE RIGHTS THROUGHOUT THE FIRST ISLAND CHAIN, + HAS NO QUALMS LETTING VASSAL/BUFFER-STATE NORTH KOREA ECON STARVE, SUFFER FOREVER UNTIL IT DOES.

Unless something changes, Beijing's options for East Asia is either to WAGE MAJOR WAR, OR IT GIVES UP ITS AMBITION AS T-H-E ONE-N-ONLY GLOBAL SUPERPOWER SUCCESSOR TO THE "WEAK/DECLINING"
USA, at least until sometime after the Year 2100.

Which is anathema to Beijing + many Chinese Bloggers.

"2012".

KEEP YOUR FINGERS CROSSED, STAY ARMED, + PRAY HARD.

Posted by: JosephMendiola 2011-02-09 19:44

#6 The Chinese have long talked a good game about building dams and canals to take water from the South where it is plentiful, to the desert North. At the same time, they had a gigantic forestation project planned.

But it's a good question what progress they have been making with either of these.

Posted by: Anonymoose 2011-02-09 19:03

#5 Time to resurrect the Peace River Reservoir. Certainly there are some who remember when we had engineers capable of such projects. Maybe the time is coming when people will tell the EPA to fold it five ways and stick it where the sun don't shine.

Posted by: Nimble Spemble 2011-02-09 18:40

#4 I have to wonder if this is a drought or merely tapped-out aquifers.

Maybe a bit of both. Both the Ukraine and Russia have both put a ban on the export of wheat due to a drought, so I can see western China having a major drought and tapping out the aquifers.

Posted by: DarthVader 2011-02-09 17:55

#3 Chinese officials said Wednesday they are preparing for a severe, long-lasting drought in several parched provinces, causing wheat prices to spike on the prospect of the world's largest consumer putting pressure on a global supply that's already squeezed.

I have to wonder if this is a drought or merely tapped-out aquifers.

Posted by: Zhang Fei 2011-02-09 17:51

#2 How? BY patching the cracks in the Three Gorges Dam?

Posted by: Lionel Omomosing7336 2011-02-09 16:52

#1 The Lord moves in mysterious ways.

Posted by: g(r)omgoru 2011-02-09 15:57

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