The study looked at how water scarcity affects trading water virtually between Chinese provinces. They used calculations and a model to see how much virtual water was moving between provinces in 2012, 2015, and 2017. The results showed that regions with less water tend to send more virtual water to places with more water. Provinces like Xinjiang, Heilongjiang, Anhui, and Jiangsu are water-poor and export more virtual water, while places like Shandong, Guangdong, and Zhejiang import it. This trade worsens water scarcity in some regions, like in the north and east of China. The researchers suggest making new rules to stop this cycle, guiding virtual water trade to support sustainable development instead of using up scarce water.