Meeting China’s Global Resource Needs

The report introduces the IISD Supply Risk Tool, a methodology designed to identify 'hotspots' where sustainability issues—such as environmental degradation, human rights abuses, and governance failures—intersect with supply security risks for China. Through pilot studies on copper and palm oil, the report demonstrates how these risks manifest at both micro (corporate) and macro (national) levels. For copper, the report highlights high economic importance and vulnerability, with significant risks from resource nationalism and energy-intensive production. For palm oil, it emphasizes high risks related to deforestation, biodiversity loss, and political instability in Indonesia and Malaysia. The document concludes that China lacks a comprehensive national strategy for managing these systemic risks and recommends five policy steps: enhancing the capacity of embassies and consulates, increasing participation in international sustainability standards, researching financial incentives for sustainable procurement, integrating sustainability into green public procurement, and incorporating supply chain risk indicators into corporate social responsibility (CSR) guidelines.

• The proposed assessment framework evaluates four key areas to identify risk 'hotspots': economic importance, importer vulnerability, producer sustainability issues (e.g., land use, water, climate change), and the supply country's environment (e.g., governance, resource nationalism).
• The copper pilot study reveals that copper is of "very high" economic importance to China, with imports accounting for approximately 0.8% of national GDP, and that the energy sector consumes 42% of copper.
• The palm oil pilot study identifies critical sustainability risks including massive deforestation and greenhouse gas emissions in Malaysia and Indonesia, where 96% of China's palm oil imports originate.
• Palm oil supply is highly vulnerable to political risks; 37% of China's palm oil imports come from countries with high or extreme geopolitical risk, with Indonesia facing the highest risks of nationalization and export restrictions.
• The report suggests integrating supply chain sustainability into 'green public procurement' and incorporating risk indicators into existing CSR and green business guidelines to improve the sustainability of China's global footprint.

APA

Potts, J., Huppé, G. A., Dion, J., Voora, V., & Forstater, M. (2014). Meeting China’s Global Resource Needs. International Institute for Sustainable Development. https://www.iisd.org/system/files/publications/china_supply_synthesis_report_cn.pdf

Chicago

Potts, Jason, Gabriel A. Huppé, Jason Dion, Vivek Voora, and Maya Forstater. Meeting China’s Global Resource Needs. International Institute for Sustainable Development, 2014. https://www.iisd.org/system/files/publications/china_supply_synthesis_report_cn.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Potts |first1=Jason |last2=Huppé |first2=Gabriel A. |last3=Dion |first3=Jason |last4=Voora |first4=Vivek |last5=Forstater |first5=Maya |title=Meeting China’s Global Resource Needs |publisher=International Institute for Sustainable Development |date=February 2014 |url=https://www.iisd.org/system/files/publications/china_supply_synthesis_report_cn.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{potts2014meeting, author = {Potts, Jason and Huppé, Gabriel A. and Dion, Jason and Voora, Vivek and Forstater, Maya}, title = {{Meeting China’s Global Resource Needs}}, institution = {International Institute for Sustainable Development}, year = {2014}, month = feb, url = {https://www.iisd.org/system/files/publications/china_supply_synthesis_report_cn.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }