China Wood Imports: 61% From Illegal Harvesting Risk

Majority of China's Wood Imports Carry Elevated Risk

China imported an average of 115.9 million cubic meters of wood annually between 2018 and 2023, with 61.3% originating from nations identified as having an elevated risk of illegal harvesting. This finding comes from research conducted by Dr. Tyron Venn and co-authors Zuhui Huang and Jaanvi Lachhwani, commissioned by Australia's Regional Forestry Hubs with federal funding.

The study categorized all tropical hardwood imports, which accounted for 19.4% of the total volume, as high risk. Russia was a significant supplier, contributing 29.6% of China's overall wood imports during this period. The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) reported a similar figure, noting 118 million cubic meters for China's wood imports in 2023.

Belt and Road Routes and Supply Chain Traceability Concerns

The elevated risk is particularly evident in the frontier forests of Southeast Asia, including Myanmar, Laos, and the Malay Peninsula. Brookings Institution researchers Elizabeth Losos, Alexander Pfaff, and Lydia Olander mapped these regions in 2019, identifying them as highly exposed to new Belt and Road railways and highways.

Dr. Venn's research also indicates that the provenance of timber is often lost within Chinese processing mills. These facilities frequently mix feedstocks from various origins with limited traceability before finished wood products are exported internationally.

This mixing includes hardwoods sourced from regions such as the Congo Basin, Southeast Asia, Papua New Guinea, and the Solomon Islands.

Diverse Origins, Varying Risks

While the primary study covered 2018 to 2023, more recent data from China Customs for 2025, reported by Wood Central on 1 March 2026, details specific log import volumes from key origins. In 2025, China imported 1.60 million cubic meters of logs from Papua New Guinea and 1.09 million cubic meters from the Solomon Islands.

New Zealand radiata pine constituted a significant portion of overall log imports, accounting for 18.2 million cubic meters out of China's total 31.38 million cubic meters of log imports that year. Overall, China's log imports experienced a decline for the fourth consecutive year in 2025.

Action for Asia's Building Materials Sector

Procurement teams sourcing wood and engineered wood products for projects in Asia must enhance due diligence on their supply chains. This means actively requesting verified documentation of origin and certifications from suppliers, particularly for tropical hardwoods or products from regions identified as high-risk.

Specifying materials with established Chain of Custody certifications, such as FSC or PEFC, can help mitigate risks associated with illegal harvesting and ensure compliant material sourcing.

Buyers should also verify the processing practices of Chinese mills to confirm feedstock separation and traceability, especially for products intended for markets with strict import regulations, such as Australia, where 43.9% of China's wood shipments were found to originate from elevated-risk sources.