References

HESS

Hydrology and Earth System Sciences

HESS

Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci.

1607-7938

Copernicus Publications

Göttingen, Germany

10.5194/hess-15-2871-2011

Analyses of impacts of China's international trade on its water resources and uses

Zhang

Z. Y.

¹ ² Yang

³ Shi

M. J.

¹ ² Zehnder

A. J. B.

⁴ ⁵ Abbaspour

K. C.

Graduate University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, 100049, Beijing, China

Research Centre on Fictitious Economy & Data Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 100190, Beijing, China

Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and Technology, 8600, Dübendorf, Switzerland

Nanyang Technological University (NTU), 639798, Singapore

Alberta Water Research Institute (AWRI), Edmonton, AB T5N 1M9, Canada

14 09 2011

15 9 2871 2880

2011

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported License. To view a copy of this licence, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

This article is available from https://hess.copernicus.org/articles/15/2871/2011/hess-15-2871-2011.html

The full text article is available as a PDF file from https://hess.copernicus.org/articles/15/2871/2011/hess-15-2871-2011.pdf

This study provides an insight into the impact of China's international trade of goods and services on its water resources and uses. Virtual water flows associated with China's international trade are quantified in an input-output framework. The analysis is scaled down to the sectoral and provincial levels to trace the origins and destinations of virtual water flows associated with the international trade. The results show that China is a net virtual water exporter of 4.8 × 1010 m3 yr−1, accounting for 2.1% of its renewable water resources and 8.6% of the total water use. Water scarce regions tend to have higher percentages of virtual water export relative to their water resources and water uses. In the water scarce Huang-Huai-Hai region, the net virtual water export accounts for 8.0% of the region's water resources and 11.3% of its water uses. For individual sectors, major net virtual water exporters are those where agriculture provides raw materials in the initial process of the production chain. The results suggest that China's economic gains from being a world "manufacture factory" have come at a high cost to its water resources.

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