Thinking About ChinaOpinionChina Grows HungryFood shortages, economic shortfalls drive Beijing to further extremesSavePrintPeople wearing face masks buy food at a restaurant in Beijing, following an outbreak of the COVID-19 disease in China on April 17, 2020. Carlos Garcia Rawlins/ReutersJames Gorrie8/17/2020|Updated: 8/19/2020CommentaryThe leadership of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) knows what’s coming to the people of China: food shortages.We had a problem loading this article. Please enable javascript or use a different browser. If the issue persists, please visit our help center.Share this articleLeave a commentJames GorrieAuthorJames Gorrie is the author of the 2013 book “The China Crisis” and discusses current events and China on his YouTube Podcast, The Banana Republican. Author’s Selected ArticlesTrump Kicking BRICS Out of the AmericasJan 15, 2026Beijing Rethinking Its Taiwan Unification Plans for 2027Jan 12, 2026Trump Admin’s Venezuela Strikes Are Challenging China’s Global RoleJan 06, 2026How China Uses the Israel–Hamas Conflict to Reshape Global PoliticsDec 26, 2025Related TopicsCCPchina cropsCCP virusAfrican swine fluchina food shortage