China plays a dominant role in the global seafood trade: its capture fisheries output is the highest in the world, estimated at 15.6 million tons in 2010, and its aquaculture production is three times as high (almost 48 million tons in 2010, roughly two-thirds of the world’s total production). The country also leads the world in aquafeed and fishmeal use, fishmeal imports, fish and shellfish consumption and seafood exports. Fish and shellfish production and consumption in China are expected to increase in future decades as incomes rise, and consumption patterns will change as people eat more fish per capita and more high-valued fish.

Stanford's Center on Food Security and the Environment, together with the Lenfest Ocean Program, launched a two-year project in 2013 on how marine ecosystems can be managed in a way that supports China's future vision for domestic food security. At a three-day symposium in May 2014, FSE and Lenfest brought together 26 leading Chinese and international scientists and policymakers studying food security, fisheries, aquaculture and marine ecosystems, to share knowledge and develop long-term professional relationships and research collaborations. 

On the final day of the symposium, the team visited Jing Shen, Beijing's largest fish market, to get a first-hand look at the scale and diversity of the Chinese seafood industry.