Mainland Southeast Asia’s Environmental Challenges from China

Abstract

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY • China’s rapid economic growth and the rise of its middle class have translated into a much larger appetite for agriculture from mainland Southeast Asia and an increase in agricultural production in the region to meet this demand. • To achieve increased agricultural production, new farming practices have been adopted which have caused deforestation and widespread environmental pollution. Corn plantations in northern Myanmar and banana plantations in Laos have left large swathes of territory in these countries devastated. • Chinese capital has financially benefitted local farmers, but at an environmental cost. • The Covid-19 pandemic has temporarily halted cross-border trade between China and mainland Southeast Asia. Local farmers who are dependent on the Chinese market have been negatively affected. • Regional governments need to beef up domestic institutional mechanisms to better monitor and regulate foreign entry and practices into their agriculture sectors.