Chinese Communist leader Xi Jinping fears the U.S. and its allies could deprive China of food in a crisis, a statement that comes as a call for self-sufficiency. A great percentage of Chinese food imports come from the U.S. or its allies. China secured $104 billion worth of food from overseas in 2017. “The reality is that China just does not have the water and land to be food self-sufficient,” said Ellis, a former State Department policy planning adviser.