International trade and food security: conceptual discussion, WTO and the case of China

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to discuss the concept and measurements of food security under the framework of The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, explores the link between international trade and food security with an empirical investigation into the case of China, and draw policy implications in the context of WTO. Design/methodology/approach This paper elaborates the theoretical interconnection between food security and international trade and then utilize an autoregressive distributed lag model to investigate how/whether trade affects food security in China from two dimensions. Findings The authors find that international trade indeed leads China to increase its dependence on food imports, namely, it negatively affects the food security in China. Owing to the importance of food security under multilateral trade system, this paper then briefly analyzes two relevant topics of Doha Round negotiation, i.e. public stockholding for food security and special safeguard measures. It is proposed that WTO members should support the food self-sufficiency endeavors of developing countries and appropriately exempt them from rigid discipline of domestic support and market access. Originality/value This paper discusses the interaction of international trade and food security in various aspects. Empirical study shows that increasing dependence on food imports will negatively impact the food security of China. It is concluded that WTO members should support the food self-sufficiency endeavors of developing countries and appropriately exempt them from rigid discipline of domestic support and market access.