THE POLITICAL ECONOMY OF RURAL DEVELOPMENT IN CHINA: FROM THE AGRARIAN TO THE AGRI-FOOD QUESTION

ABSTRACT This article analyses the political economy of rural development in China and its far-reaching global implications. The argument is that the recent dynamics of rural development in China seek to respond to a set of challenges triggered by the shift from the classic 'agrarian question' to the contemporary 'agri-food question.' The new agri-food question encompasses three major problematics: capital accumulation, social reproduction, and political power. The research draws on specialized bibliography, official statistics, and fieldwork observations. The analysis of the agri-food question proves to be quite fertile to explain China’s place in the dynamics of the contemporary international food regime and to examine the direction of its current socio-economic formation.