Distinguished participants,

Ladies and gentlemen,

Good morning. It’s my pleasure to join you in the Webinar on Food Security. This Webinar is the last activity of the project “Targeted Poverty Alleviation and Strengthening Food Security in the Lancang-Mekong Countries for Post-Pandemic Recovery”, funded by the Government of China. Over the past year since the project started, it has enhanced the knowledge and skills of nearly 200 people in the Lancang-Mekong region in the field of food production, promoted targeted poverty alleviation, and achieved positive results. China recognizes the efforts made by the project team of MI.

Ladies and gentlemen,

Food security is a fundamental and existential issue for the humanity. At present, the world economic recovery remains sluggish. Food systems around the world have become more vulnerable due to the intertwined and overlapping effects including COVID-19, regional conflicts and climate change, and the world is undergoing mounting pressure of food shortages. According to a report by the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), about 735 million people in the world are currently facing hunger, 122 million more than 2019. In July, UN Secretary-General António Guterres warned that the global food systems are “broken”, and vulnerable people are paying the price. In this context, the international community should strengthen experience sharing on food security and explore effective solutions through international cooperation.

Ensuring food supply has always been the top priority for the Chinese government. In recent years, China’s food production has been expanding steadily, with adequate market supply and generally stable operations. The level of China’s food security has been raised significantly. China’s annual grain output has topped 650 billion kg for 8 consecutive years. The per capita food supply of China reached 486.1 kg, which is well above the internationally recognized food security line of 400 kg. As the largest food producer in the world, China grows a quarter of the world’s food with less than 9 percent of the world’s arable land, and feeds one fifth of the world’s population. This is a major contribution to global food security.

The Chinese government considers reducing food loss and waste an important measure to ensure food security. President Xi Jinping personally advocated the “Clean Plate” initiative to foster strong social awareness of cherishing food and ending waste. China has adopted the Law on Food Waste, to provide rules for consumers and the catering industry. China has built more than 60 million hectares of high-quality farmland with high and stable yield, and reduced the mechanical loss of grain harvest by optimizing agricultural machinery and equipment. China successfully held the International Conference on Food Loss and Waste, attended by representatives form more than 50 countries and international organizations, helping to build strong international consensus on this front.  

China has developed a systematic and effective approach to ensuring national food security and has accumulated rich experience. Please allow me to share it with you here. First, strengthening national food security system and capacity-building. Second, implementing a strategy of sustainable farmland use. Third, promoting the innovative application of agricultural technology. Fourth, increasing support for agricultural protection. Fifth, improving food regulation capabilities. Sixth, accelerating the construction of a modern food industry and circulation system. Seventh, continuously improving diversified food supply capabilities. Eighth, carrying out in-depth food conservation and loss reduction actions. Through these policies and concrete measures, China has ensured a secure food supply for its people.

Ladies and gentlemen,

While ensuring its national food security, China has also made positive contributions to global food security. Half a century ago, hybrid rice was first successfully developed in China and then planted widely. After that, China has selflessly introduced hybrid rice to nearly 70 countries across five continents. This has been a remarkable contribution to increasing grain output and agricultural development in various countries. China has trained over 14,000 hybrid rice professionals from over 80 developing countries. China has helped launch 13 demonstration villages on agricultural development and poverty reduction in Africa. China has carried out Belt and Road agricultural cooperation with more than 140 countries and regions. China has provided more than 1,000 agricultural technologies to developing countries, driving up local crop yield by 30 to 60 percent on average. China has put forth a cooperation initiative on global food security under the G20 framework, and promoted the adoption of the BRICS Strategy on Food Security Cooperation, offering China’s solution for the global food security challenge.

Food security is one of the eight major areas of cooperation of the Global Development Initiative(GDI). Under the framework of the GDI, China has been continuously increasing resource input, deepening South-South cooperation, and working jointly with all parties to enhance the resilience of the global food system. China has provided more funding and experts and undertaken more projects than any other developing countries under the framework of the FAO’s South-South Cooperation Programme. China  donated 50 million US dollar to the FAO, providing new resources to help address global hunger, malnutrition and other issues. Through the Global Development and South-South Cooperation Fund, China has supported the FAO, the World Food Programme and other agencies in the implementation of nearly 50 tripartite cooperation projects, helping developing countries to improve food security and enhance comprehensive agricultural production capacity.

Addressing climate change is closely related to agricultural production and food security. In climate response, China is a country that walks the walk. We have implemented an active national climate change strategy, and unswervingly pursued a green and low-carbon path of development that prioritizes ecological protection. China is the first country to realize zero net land degradation. China’s forest coverage ratio and forest stock volume have both increased for over 30 consecutive years. China continuously expands the scale of clean energy production, and its installed capacity of non-fossil energy power generation has tripled in past 10 years, accounting for more than 50% of total installed capacity. China will make the steepest cuts in the world to the intensity of carbon emissions, and complete the process from carbon emissions peaking to carbon neutrality in the shortest span of time in human history, contributing its strength to global efforts to achieve carbon emissions reduction targets.

Ladies and gentlemen,

Food and Agriculture is one of the priority areas of Lancang-Mekong Cooperation. In recent years, the six countries in Lancang-Mekong region have synergized agricultural development strategies, implemented the Three-Year Plan of Action on Lancang-Mekong Agricultural Cooperation (2020-2022). We carried out Lancang-Mekong Bumper Harvest projects, and deepened agricultural trade and investment cooperation, providing a strong underpinning for food security, economic growth and social progress. We jointly planed, applied for and implemented many agricultural projects under Lancang-Mekong Cooperation Special Fund in key areas including crops, livestock, aquaculture and agro-processing, ensuring a secure food supply for the people in our sub-region. 

Going forward, China will continue to work with Mekong countries to enhance experience sharing, deepen Lancang-Mekong agricultural and food cooperation, advance the Belt and Rod Initiative and Global Development Initiative, jointly safeguard sub-regional and global food security, so as to make greater contribution to accelerating the implementation of the UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and building a world free from hunger and poverty.

Thank you.