Tongliao, a prefecture in China’s Inner Mongolia region, has experienced significant environmental and economic transformation in recent decades, driven in part by climate change and government initiatives. Once a landscape dominated by sand, gravel, and camels on the edge of the Gobi Desert, the area has been converted into green grasslands and farmland, supporting a growing cattle industry.
Since the 1990s, much of northern China, including Tongliao, has seen a notable increase in annual rainfall, contributing to the expansion of grass and corn cultivation. This shift, confirmed by China’s National Climate Center and meteorologists, has turned previously arid zones into productive lands with vegetation comparable to well-known global beef regions like Montana or Argentina’s Pampas. However, officials warn that this rainfall often comes in intense, brief storms rather than steady showers, posing challenges for agriculture.
Complementing the effects of climate change, the Chinese government has implemented extensive environmental measures, including large-scale tree planting, solar panel installations, and sand stabilization projects, which have reduced desert winds and helped retain soil moisture. These efforts have been accompanied by regulations to protect newly established grasslands, including the prohibition of grazing in restoration areas monitored by motion sensors that alert authorities to unauthorized cattle.
This greener environment has proved conducive to expanding China’s cattle industry, now the third largest globally behind Brazil and the United States. The country’s beef herd has grown by about one-third since 2018, reaching nearly 90 million head, with approximately four million located in Tongliao. This growth supports China’s broader goal of reducing its dependence on beef imports—the country remains the world’s largest beef importer, accounting for significant shares of exports from countries such as Argentina, Australia, Brazil, and the United States.
Chinese officials are also working to improve beef quality by crossbreeding local cattle, traditionally smaller and bred for labor, with larger international breeds such as Swiss Simmental and Angus. These hybrids are reported to grow faster and weigh up to twice as much as native cattle, while retaining adaptability to local conditions and disease resistance. Artificial insemination has become widespread, with China rivaling the European Union as a leading importer of bull semen.
Despite these modernization efforts, some small-scale farmers remain hesitant to adopt hybrid breeds. For example, a herder in Hebei Province expressed a preference for native breeds, citing superior beef flavor despite the animals’ leaner appearance. Smallholder farm households still comprise a substantial part of the cattle-raising community, particularly in more remote areas.
To encourage the scaling-up of production, Tongliao’s local government offers subsidies to feedlots that raise a large number of cattle, facilitating more efficient management of breeding and fattening programs. The region has also developed into a hub for wind turbine manufacturing, supplying electricity to southern cities and contributing to economic growth.
As domestic beef production increases, wholesale beef prices in China have risen by nearly 18 percent since March of last year, influenced partly by import restrictions. Improvements in transportation and living standards have accompanied this economic shift, with many households now owning vehicles, a marked change from past decades.
China’s expanding cattle industry, supported by climatic changes and targeted government policies, has the potential to reshape global beef markets, impacting major exporters and altering trade dynamics in the coming years.