In 2001 when China joined the World Trade Organization (WTO), NPR reports, one trade deal was that China purchase 5.3 million tons of rice from the US. According to IFPRI researcher, Joseph Glauber, “In the rice world, that’s a lot of rice. … China just wasn’t importing [it].” After several years and litigation with the WTO, US rice is now being exported to China.
Why China, The World’s Largest Rice Producer, Quietly Bought U.S. Rice Last Year (NPR)
September 03, 2019