Baby formula made by foreign brands is in great demand in China after the 2008 scandal when six infants died. The incident, which involved melamine-tainted milk powder, soured China’s infant formula market for local firms. Since then, whole milk powder imports have jumped almost 800% and foreign brands now account for about half of total sales. Today’s graphic shows the top players in China’s $12.5 billion infant formula sector.
23 May 2013Thomson Reuters
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As China’s arable land shrinks, more hectares are devoted to corn, rice and wheat. Today we have a double dose of graphics showing China’s rice, wheat and soybean production and imports and China’s arable land area, sown area, and yield by grain type.
Today, China’s middle class urban households are mostly concentrated along the eastern seaboard. By 2020, following the rapid growth of cities in the interior, they will be spread throughout much of China. Today’s graphic shows middle and affluent urban households as a percentage of total urban households in 2012 and projections for 2020.
Gold fell to a two-year low and took its biggest ever one-day drop yesterday, contributing to huge losses in gold reserves. Although it rallied slightly today, the recent struggles by commodities have been triggered by weak data from China and the US sparking fresh concerns about the strength of the global economy’s recovery. Today’s graphic tracks the price of gold and the value lost on gold reserves during 2013 for a variety of countries.
First-quarter growth of 7.7 percent is even more disappointing given the 58 percent increase in financing shoveled into the economy over the same period says Breakingviews.
Military spending dropped in 2012 thanks to deep cuts in the United States and Europe, which made up for increases in countries such as China and Russia. Military expenditure as a whole fell 0.5% to $1.75 trillion last year in the first decline in real terms since 1998. Today’s graphic breaks down military spending by region and shows the top spenders by value and percent of GDP.
Projections show China’s population could peak in the next two decades and its elderly population may hit 360 million by 2030. Today’s graphic shows fertility rate & population forecasts and the estimated percentage of the population over the age of 65.
Shigeru Iwasaki, the highest-ranking uniformed officer in Japan’s military, talked to Reuters on the nation’s defense strategy at a time when Sino-Japanese tensions mount over disputed East China Sea islets and North Korea continues to intensify its aggressive rhetoric. Today’s graphic compares the military strength of Japan, China, and North Korea.
Migrant workers built China’s cities, but can’t afford to live in them. Now a heavy-handed drive to replace slums with cheap housing will limit their options even further. Jane Lanhee Lee reports.
