China is described as the most water-stressed country in East Asia because it exploits 44% of its usable water, and this figure is projected to rise to 60% by 2020. This means that China is already using a large portion of its available freshwater resources, putting it at significant risk of water shortages in the future. The high rate of water exploitation is due to factors such as rapid industrialization, increasing agricultural demands, and population growth, all of which place immense pressure on the country's water resources. Additionally, uneven water distribution, with northern China experiencing much more severe water scarcity than the south, further exacerbates the situation.
