Bilateral virtual water trade in agricultural products: a case study of Germany and China

Most studies in the field of virtual water trade concentrate either on the global, national or sub-national level, or on the water footprint of individual products. This article assesses the virtual water trade in agricultural products between Germany and China during the period 2008-2010. Germany exported 192millionm(3) of virtual water to China and imported 801millionm(3) from China. Through the bilateral trade, Germany saved 69.8millionm(3) water, while China had a net water loss of 469.4millionm(3). Thus, the global water loss amounts to 399.6millionm(3).