China is at the centre of a global forestry chain in which responsible management is highly significant for global sustainability. However, problems such as trade policies, poor governance in wood-supplying countries and irresponsible business practice interact to aggravate forest loss and poverty in the face of increasing competition for agricultural land, energy and urban expansion.
The key to global forest product commodity chain sustainability is to match production efficiencies with improved forest governance in the producer country. Progress in global sustainability will benefit greatly from leadership from the Chinese government—as a regulator, as a source of aid to developing countries, as a nation committed to the production of global public goods and as a major buyer of forest products through sustainable markets. China has an opportunity to take on a leadership role in building key international sustainable forestry initiatives
