Family planning policy in China takes place against one stark fact. This is that China has 22% of the people in the world, but only 7% of the total land. To allow such a huge population to expand unchecked would soon result in it outstripping the ability of the countryside to feed it.
What is the grammatical function of the first 'it' in the second sentence in the above paragraph related to the Present participial phrase after?
To me, 'it' is the object of the verbal phrase 'result in', and the phrase after it is the apposition of 'it'.
Another possibility might be that the actual object of the phrase 'result in' is 'outstripping the ability of the countryside to feed it', and the first it is the logical subject of the phrase.
Which one of my understandings is correct?
Add information:
Except for the two understandings above, I strongly believe that the first 'it' is used as anticipatory object of 'result in' and the Present participial phrase after 'it' is the real object.