<div><span style="font-size: 1rem;">Half of China's vast territory is now experiencing drought, including parts of the frigid Tibetan Plateau, official data showed -- with more high temperatures forecast Thursday for hundreds of millions of people enduring the country's hottest summer on record.</span><br></div><div><br></div><div>The world's second-largest economy has been hit by record heat, flash floods and droughts -- phenomena that scientists say are becoming more frequent and intense due to climate change.</div><div><br></div><div>Southern China has recorded its longest continuous period of high temperatures since records began more than 60 years ago, the agriculture ministry said this week.</div><div><br></div><div>Experts have said the intensity, scope and duration of the heatwave could make it one of the worst recorded in global history.</div><div><br></div><div>A chart from the National Climate Centre showed Wednesday that swathes of southern China -- including the Tibetan Plateau -- were experiencing "severe" to "extraordinary" drought conditions.</div><div><br></div><div>The worst-affected area -- the Yangtze river basin, stretching from coastal Shanghai to Sichuan province in China's southwest -- is home to over 370 million people and contains several manufacturing hubs including the megacity of Chongqing.</div><div><br></div><div>The China Meteorological Administration predicted continued high temperatures of up to 40 degrees Celsius (104 degrees Fahrenheit) in Chongqing and the provinces of Sichuan, Jiangxi and Zhejiang Thursday.</div><div><br></div><div>China's State Council on Wednesday announced a 10 billion yuan ($1.45 billion) subsidy to support rice farmers experiencing drought conditions which authorities have warned pose a "severe threat" to this year's autumn harvest.</div><div><br></div><div>China produces more than 95 percent of the rice, wheat and maize it consumes, but a reduced harvest could mean increased demand for imports in the world's most populous country -- putting further pressure on global supplies already strained by the conflict in Ukraine.</div><div><br></div><div>Officials also called for "a combination of measures to increase water sources to fight drought, first ensure drinking water for the people, ensure water for agricultural irrigation," the readout added.</div><div><br></div><div>Wednesday's CCTV evening news broadcast showed trucks supplying villagers who lacked drinking and agricultural water in rural Sichuan and Chongqing, with remote mountain areas particularly hard hit.</div><div><br></div><div>Temperatures as high as 45 degrees Celsius (113 Fahrenheit) have led multiple Chinese provinces to impose industrial power cuts, as cities struggle to cope with a surge in demand for electricity partly driven by people cranking up the air conditioning.</div><div><br></div><div>Record low water levels on the Yangtze River have also put pressure on the region's hydropower generators.</div><div><br></div><div>The heat broke records in Sichuan, where a temperature of 43.9 degrees Celsius (111 Fahrenheit) was recorded Wednesday afternoon, the province's Meteorological Service Centre said in a statement. - AFP&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>