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.Share this articleLeave a commentJames GorrieAuthorJames R. Gorrie is the author of “The China Crisis” (Wiley, 2013) and writes on his blog, TheBananaRepublican.com. He is based in Southern California.Author’s Selected ArticlesThe Rise of Militarism in ChinaJun 09, 2025The Great Fall of Communist ChinaMay 30, 2025China’s Big Influence on the US Housing MarketMay 29, 2025Breaking Communist ChinaMay 13, 2025Related TopicsCCPchina cropsCCP virusAfrican swine fluchina food shortage