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Story Publication logo February 21, 2020

Chinese Development in the Amazon

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Image by Heriberto Araújo. Brazil, 2019.
English

As the world's largest consumer of soy, China's hunger drives Brazil's sales. How the Amazon fits...

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Aerial shot of the Amazon rainforest in South America. Image by Gustavo Frazao. Brazil, undated.
Aerial shot of the Amazon rainforest in South America. Image by Gustavo Frazao. Brazil, undated.

In 2019, deforestation in the Brazilian Amazon reached the highest rate in more than a decade. One of the biggest drivers of deforestation in the region is the growing of soybeans for livestock feed. The biggest consumer of Brazilian soybeans is China. State-owned Chinese companies are investing directly in Brazil’s soaring agri-businesses, and those investments are increasing as China gets less of its soy from the US due to the trade war. The World's host Marco Werman spoke to reporter and Pulitzer Grantee Melissa Chan about her reporting in Brazil, looking at Chinese development at the edge of the Amazon.

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