# Water: Movement

China's canal that carries a river north

Source page: https://www.materialinsights.org/commodities/water/movement/

China's canal that carries a river north What this tab covers How it flows between countries: the largest bilateral trade routes drawn on a world map, 2024 UN Comtrade export and import values with the top exporters and importers by share, plus shipping routes, chokepoints and trade restrictions.

Water is heavy and cheap, so it rarely travels far except by canal or pipe, or as 'virtual water' inside crops and goods. China's South-North middle route has carried over 80 billion m³ along 1,232 km in 12 years, serving about 118 million people (CGTN 2026). Long pumped transfers of 200 km or more use about 0.79 kWh/m³ (IFI TWG 2020). Virtual water trade is far larger than physical trade: Hoekstra and Mekonnen (2012) put international flows at 2,320 km³ a year in 1996-2005. India's rice and sugar exports carry groundwater from Punjab, Haryana and Maharashtra. Bottled water (HS 2201) is a small branded trade.

Trade flows are not charted: water crosses borders mostly in rivers, canals and inside crops and goods, while traded bottled water (HS 2201) is a tiny branded market.

## Other sections

- [Summary](https://www.materialinsights.org/commodities/water/index.md)
- [Overview](https://www.materialinsights.org/commodities/water/overview/index.md)
- [Correlation](https://www.materialinsights.org/commodities/water/correlation/index.md)
- [Extraction](https://www.materialinsights.org/commodities/water/extraction/index.md)
- [Production](https://www.materialinsights.org/commodities/water/production/index.md)
- [Stocks](https://www.materialinsights.org/commodities/water/stocks/index.md)
- [Cycles](https://www.materialinsights.org/commodities/water/cycles/index.md)
- [Trading](https://www.materialinsights.org/commodities/water/trading/index.md)
- [Criticality](https://www.materialinsights.org/commodities/water/criticality/index.md)
- [Characteristics](https://www.materialinsights.org/commodities/water/characteristics/index.md)
- [Emissions](https://www.materialinsights.org/commodities/water/emissions/index.md)
- [Relationships](https://www.materialinsights.org/commodities/water/links/index.md)