Of course, calling it a lie is not accurate; rather, it should be described as a pessimistic prediction of future trends.

However, the Chinese are the best at breaking down other people's pessimistic views, because we believe in the saying "As heaven maintains vigor through movement, a gentleman should strive to strengthen himself without being overly forceful," and that human will can overcome nature.

Mr. Lin added, “The book ‘Who Will Feed the Chinese People’ is a book, and this article is a presentation of its main content and advantages. Take a look, and then share your thoughts!”

Chen Dong nodded, then picked up the newspaper and began to read it carefully.

It turns out that this man named Lester Brown is the director of the Worldwatch Institute. He wrote a book based on his research on China's food economy, titled "Who Will Feed the Chinese?"

In this book, Brown makes the assertion that by 2030, China's population will reach approximately 1.63 billion, and based on an average daily grain consumption of 8 liang (approximately 400 grams) per person, this would require 651 million tons of grain.

However, given the pace of industrialization at that time, China's arable land area was decreasing day by day, so grain production might drop to 273 million tons.

Given this situation, China will become a major food-deficient country, needing to import large quantities of foreign grain, with total imports reaching 378 million tons. However, global grain exports are only about 200 million tons.

This would inevitably lead to food shortages and soaring food prices, which would then trigger a chain reaction internationally, resulting in a global food panic.

In other words, by then, not only will China be unable to support itself, but the world will also be unable to support China.

Upon seeing these arguments, Chen Dong fell into deep thought.

He thought of many things, including grain production, processing, and distribution.

The more Chen Dong thought about it, the more he felt he needed to remind Old Lin of many things.

"Tell me, what did you figure out?" Old Lin asked as he saw Chen Dong look up from his newspaper.

"Mr. Lin, this article roughly summarizes the two main points of that book. First, it questions whether China will be able to feed its people with its own grain production in the future, and will have to import large quantities of grain. This leads to the second point, which is that our large-scale grain imports will cause turmoil in the international grain market. Here, the first point is a questioning of our capabilities, and the second point is a concern about China's population size. This is a variant of the 'Yellow Peril' theory. Regarding the population issue, we have the family planning policy, which aims to have fewer and better births. As for the issue of grain production, there are many factors that determine it, such as seeds, fertilizers, pesticides, water, and of course, land."

"Hmm, not bad! You've seen things very comprehensively. Many of our comrades only saw the increase in grain production, but didn't think about further ensuring the area of ​​arable land," Old Lin said with a smile, expressing his approval.

In fact, what Chen Dong said was not much different from what others said, but Old Lin believed that Chen Dong must have more valuable information that he had not yet revealed.

So he only offered a couple of compliments and then said nothing more, quietly waiting for Chen Dong to say more.

Chapter 753 Old Lin Scams People into Drinking?

This article, "Who Will Feed the Chinese People?", was written by someone who used connections to get Mr. Lin's approval so that it could be published.

The relevant department leaders thought the things mentioned in the article were too sensational, but after reading it, Mr. Lin insisted on its publication.

When Mr. Lin received this article, he read it and felt that it was somewhat exaggerated, but some of the things in it were real and deserved attention.

After the article was published, Mr. Lin organized a discussion, but most of the comrades' views were still relatively limited, mostly focusing on increasing grain production and income, expanding planting area, and developing agricultural technology, and their vision was not broad enough.

They had discussed these methods countless times before, and there was nothing new about them. That's why Old Lin invited Chen Dong over this time to share his thoughts.

In his view, Chen Dong had been out in the world and had seen more and broader experiences.

Moreover, he was a businessman, a successful businessman who did things that benefited both himself and others. In particular, he gave Mr. Lin a feeling that was beyond his actual age.

Therefore, Mr. Lin invited Chen Dong over, hoping to gain a different perspective from him.

"That's good. Could you elaborate on your thoughts?" Old Lin said, looking at Chen Dong encouragingly.

"Mr. Lin, you've given me a really tough question!"

Chen Dong felt immense pressure, as this topic involved the country's development strategy.

Is this something I can participate in the discussion on my own?

Old Lin noticed Chen Dong's hesitation and said to him, "Don't worry. When we introduce a policy, we will of course take into account information from all sides. So your insights are just like opening a window for us and providing a new perspective on the issue. It's important, but it's not particularly important either."

"Oh, I'm relieved to hear that!" Chen Dong said, trying to sound relaxed.

Then he held his teacup, stared at the newspaper, and his mind raced.

Of course, he still dared not relax, and instead thought about how to point out the problem more comprehensively and deeply, and try to come up with some solutions.

Old Lin noticed Chen Dong's caution, so he didn't urge him but just silently drank his tea and waited.

He nodded to himself. Only those who remain calm in the face of great events can accomplish great things.

Instead of being like most young people, who rush to seize any opportunity and are eager to show off, they are not like other young people.

After a long silence, Chen Dong slowly spoke, "Elder Lin, shall I begin now?"

Old Lin frowned suddenly upon seeing this, "Don't rush!"

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