China's Geography Problem
Link: />1. Brief summary
Geographically speaking, China is a mixed bag. However, although its territory has enabled
the country's population to soar to just shy of 1.4 billion people, it lacks enough geographic
protection. The Yellow River is often cited as the source of Chinese history. The floodplain
of the Yellow River has some of the world's richest agricultural areas, which is why this
colony expanded into the world's most populated nation. In fact, the whole eastern part of
China is ideal for agricultural production. Having a strong military has always been critical to
the country's progress. Furthermore, because of the climate, farmers in this region are able to
practice a practice known as double-cropping. A somewhat less profitable rice crop may be
sown for October cultivation after the primary crop is grown in June and July. It is this that
causes some of the geographical disadvantages for them. At the same time, it also creates
obstacles to China's own development.
2. Analysis
Food production on European farms is limited to 4 million calories per acre due mostly to
reliance on wheat. When it comes to calories per acre, rice comes in second place with 11
million. It's understandable why China has such a large population. China, on the other hand,
has unique topographical difficulties. It shares borders with Vietnam, Laos, and Myanmar on
its southern border. They were chosen rather randomly, but the boundaries between these
three nations and China seem to be that way too. As a result of its engagement in Vietnam's
conflict, Vietnam, Laos, and Myanmar all set their histories after the Sino-French War. None
of these parameters was determined by the environment; they were all imposed by people
engaged in conflict. These nations aren't small; they have a combined military strength of
almost one million soldiers, compared to China's little more than two million. There would be
no winner in a major confrontation with any of these nations. There would be a huge edge for
any of these three nations over China in technical terms. All three countries—Vietnam, Laos,
and Myanmar—are located in forest regions, making them particularly difficult to wage war
in. This contributed to the length of the conflict in Vietnam. Because soldiers can't be moved
quickly across the forest, everything grinds to a halt. Invading China would be much simpler
if Vietnam, Laos, or Myanmar had no geographical protection on their borders (SCIO, 2021).
However, China has an edge in other areas. There is a chasm between China and India that

cannot be bridged. There are border issues, military clashes, and political divides, making it
difficult for the two countries to work together, which is why Tibet is so crucial. Tibet has a
long history of independence from China, with the Chinese occupation beginning just around
300 years ago. Tibetans are a distinct ethnic group from the Han Chinese who occupy China's
eastern region. Except militarily, Tibet being a part of China makes little sense (BBC, 2020).
Tibet is home to less than a tenth of a percent of China's people but covers roughly a third of
the country's land area. Beijing's inner four districts are home to more people than Tibet's
total population (BBC, 2020). Despite the fact that it's utterly barren, it serves a useful
function.
Tibet would be under Indian control if China didn't. Even if it isn't official, an autonomous
Tibet would very certainly be governed economically and culturally by one of India or China
(BBC, 2020).


It simply lacks the economic and military resources to do so, but from China's perspective, an
independent Indian Tibet is an impossibility. If India were to gain control of Tibet, there
would be no longer be a geographical barrier between the populous areas of China and India.
Tibet now serves as such a barrier. For an invading India, Tibet would be an easy way to
advance huge numbers of soldiers into eastern China, given the region is sparsely inhabited
and devoid of the transportation infrastructure required to get there. However, this also
implies that China cannot expand towards India due to a lack of transportation infrastructure,
although China is working to remedy this.
Recently, the world's highest train was connected to Tibet, and roads are being constructed at
a rapid pace. A new international airport was completed in Nyingchi, just a few kilometers
from the border. Projects like this are aimed at progressively integrating Tibet into China in
the foreseeable future. There has been little success in winning over the Tibetan people, but
the government has the power to alter who lives in Tibet. Han Chinese have flocked to Tibet
in the tens of thousands, and the number continues to grow. The administration understands
that if the people of Tibet believe that a foreign force is there to liberate them rather than
invade them, then Tibet will be of little service to them.

However, water is one of the reasons China needs Tibet.
All the water from Tibet is responsible for the agricultural output in the whole eastern region.
Chinese rivers Yellow and the Yangtze obtain their water from Tibet, and the government
believes that foreign control of China's water supply would be disastrous for the country's
food security. Yellow River gets its water from Tibet. There's a considerable probability
Tibet would remain autonomous if a large mountain range separated it from eastern China.
There would still be Chinese water and mountains to provide China with the geographic
protection it seeks. Mongolia, on the other hand, is one of China's assets, and it lies to the
north. It's a huge, sparsely inhabited place with welcoming people. To say that any
contemporary land-based army could successfully traverse the Gobi Desert and another harsh
terrain is an understatement. The supply lines would be quite extensive, and adequate notice
would have been provided before they reached the Chinese border.
However, who would want to invade at this point?
The only other country that borders Mongolia is Russia, which is a close military and
economic ally of China. Until China's ties with Russia deteriorate, it has no need to be
concerned about its northern border. However, there is still the issue of the eastern boundary.
You would believe that China's safest border in the ocean, but you must keep in mind that
strong powers, the most powerful of which is the United States, are located close to China's
coastlines (Rahul, 1978). Bases in South Korea, Japan, and Guam are part of the United
States' extensive Pacific military presence. Taiwan, Indonesia, Singapore, and Malaysia are
all-important US allies, so the US would have no trouble blocking China and cutting off its
sea access if a significant disagreement arose with the country, and China is well aware of
this (Rahul, 1978). So establishing military outposts and man-made islands in the South
China Sea is a priority for the Chinese government because they want to assert their authority
over the region. Ironically, China's efforts in the region are deteriorating relations with the
exact countries it wants on its side since it understands it needs these islands to have control
over the region and access the Pacific in the event of a conflict. For instance, ties between the
Philippines and the United States are not rocked solid. Despite the fact that the US and the



Philippines are friends, the Philippine government has taken steps to separate itself from
Washington. Because of the South China Sea issue, China could have been able to sway the
Philippines to its side, giving it vital access to the Pacific if the United States tried to impose
a naval blockade.
For a country whose whole economy is based on exports, limiting its ability to trade with
other countries means economic disaster. As a result of its massive population, China is also
reliant on food imports, the majority of which is transported by ship. If people don't have
work or food, they're more likely to rebel against the government and overthrow the present
system. For a long time, China has had no desire to become a global force, expanding its
influence throughout the globe. It aspired to be the region's dominating force, but historically,
it restricted its activities to Asia. For much of history, it had no fleet large enough to spread
its dominance beyond Asia's borders. However, as a result of China's enormous growth, this
has all changed (Rahul, 1978).
China has reached the point when its natural resources can no longer sustain the country's
growing population.
Chinese domestic policy has prioritized food self-sufficiency for decades, but as the
economy has expanded, China has discovered a way to go beyond that goal.
Africa has grown to be almost as important as China. It provides for the nation that
provides for the rest of the globe (Rahul, 1978). Massive quantities of Chinese money have
been poured into Africa, in what some see as a sort of neocolonialism. Massive tracts of
African land have been purchased by Chinese state-owned enterprises for the purpose of
mining minerals, drilling for oil, and growing food. Food and oil imports have now surpassed
exports in China (Rahul, 1978).
While this is encouraging, it also means that the nation has become more dependent on other
powers, putting it in a precarious situation for a country that often has disagreements with
some of those outside powers
In fact, China has some of the greatest geographical conditions on earth, which has helped it
become the world's biggest nation. However, as China becomes a more strong and
sophisticated country, it must be aware of its weaknesses if the existing government hopes to
endure. It's obvious that the nation is in a more vulnerable situation than many people assume

due to its location. For whatever reason, China is bordered on the south and east by nations
that would most certainly support NATO in a fight with the country. To the west and north,
China is bordered by nations and areas that lack the infrastructure necessary to sustain the
country should there be conflict.
In conclusion, because China has nuclear weapons, it's doubtful that it would ever go to war
with another superpower. However, if that were to happen, it's impossible to deny that
geography would be a big disadvantage.


References
SCIO (2021). Full Text: Food Security in China. Retrieved 30 October 2021, from
/>BBC

(2019).

Tibet

profile.

Retrieved

30

October

2021,

from

/>Rahul, R. (1978). Mongolia between China and Russia. Asian Survey, 18(7), 659665.