Feeding the dragon: The evolution of China’s fishery imports

Abstract

This paper examines the changing face of China’s imports of fisheries products from the beginning of its market-oriented growth in the early 1990s to the present. We demonstrate how import demand has evolved by species group and country and examine the implications of these changes for the diversification of China’s sourcing of fisheries products. We also examine how China’s trade partners have changed in terms of governance and IUU risk. Finally, we examine four large product categories in depth to show how changes to underlying trends in domestic consumption, production and demand from export partners have shaped China’s indirect demands on the world’s fishery ecosystems through its imports.