Mr. Chair,

Dear colleagues,

Ladies and gentlemen,

Let me start by extending, on behalf of the Chinese Government, warm congratulations on the convocation of the World Food Summit and wishing the Summit a complete success.

Thirteen years ago, world leaders gathered in Rome and made the solemn pledge of ensuring food security for all and halving the number of the world's hungry people by 2015. Seven years ago, an anti-hunger declaration was adopted also here at the World Food Summit, which reiterated the shared vision of achieving the United Nations Millennium Development Goals. Today, we have again gathered in Rome at this important meeting to discuss key issues on food security at a moment when the international financial crisis has brought severe challenges, world poverty reduction efforts have suffered major setbacks, hungry people in the world have increased to over 1 billion and a world food crisis is very likely to happen. This meeting is therefore of special significance to world food security, global economic recovery and sustainable development.

Mr. Chair,

Food is essential to the survival of people and grain is the principal food. Freedom from hunger is the most fundamental human right. Food security is the basis for economic development and social stability. It is also an important prerequisite for national independence and world peace. At present, the international community is under the dual pressure of an international financial crisis and a global food crisis. Some developing countries have seen their development process severely hindered and social stability threatened. The international community should view and address food security as a matter vital to human survival and development, and safeguard food security in the world through strengthened cooperation. To this end, we wish to put forward the following suggestions.

First, increase input and raise food production. All countries, developing ones in particular, should be in ways suited to their national circumstances, invest more in agriculture, break the technical bottlenecks inhibiting output growth, build up the capability to resist natural disasters, plant diseases and insect pests and strive for higher yield and greater self-sufficiency. Developed countries and international organizations should provide developing countries with financial, technological, market and capacity-building assistance with due respect for the sovereignty of the recipient countries and more emphasis on building their own "blood-generating" capacity.

Second, create a sound market environment for mutual benefit and win-win progress. The causes of a food crisis are complicated, including unbalanced supply and demand, as well as distorted international agricultural market and financial speculation. All countries should jointly oppose trade protectionism in all forms and manifestations and push for a positive outcome of the Doha Round negotiations. Developed countries should demonstrate greater sincerity in the negotiations, slash agricultural subsidies, remove trade barriers and give greater market access to developing members so that a fair, reasonable, sustainable and stable international agricultural trading order can take shape. It is imperative to enhance financial regulation over agricultural markets and effectively curb speculative activities. This should become one of the priorities in reforming the international financial regulatory system.

Third, press ahead with reform and improve the global governance mechanism. China supports the strengthening of the global governance mechanism for food security and the early establishment of a food security safeguard system encompassing early warning, emergency relief and macro-control and regulation functions. China favors the adoption of a comprehensive, coordinated and sustainable strategy for global food security that ensures efficiency and equal participation of all parties. China supports the strengthening of the UN food and agriculture agencies through reform and endorses a bigger role of the Committee on World Food Security and the Task Force on the World Food Security Crisis of the United Nations.

Fourth, adopt a holistic approach for comprehensive and balanced growth. In the final analysis, the food issue is a development issue. Food security is closely related to economic growth, social progress, climate change and energy security. All countries should pay great attention to the impact of climate change on agriculture and other sectors, intensify global cooperation on climate change under the principle of "common but differentiated responsibilities", and strive for a positive outcome of the up-coming Copenhagen Conference. The international community should take seriously the long-term implications of the development of the bio-fuel sector and guide it toward sustainability based on the principle of "not competing for food with humans and not competing for land with food". Energy security should by no means come at the cost of food security.

Mr. Chair,

This year marks the 60th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China. Over the past 60 years, we have placed great importance on agriculture and food. Providing sufficient food for over 1 billion people has been on top of our agenda. Our policy is to realize basic food self-sufficiency, strengthen the fundamental role of agriculture and pursue agricultural modernization with Chinese features. We have enhanced water conservancy for rural farmlands, accelerated the advance of agro-science and technology, and motivated farmers to produce more. As a result, we have made notable achievements in agriculture and rural development. China feeds about 20 percent of the world's population with about 9 percent of the world's arable lands and about 6.5 percent of the world's fresh water. The Chinese people, who once lived in hunger, now enjoy moderate prosperity. We have met ahead of schedule the targets for eradicating extreme poverty and hunger under MDGs. It is a historic transformation. It is a miracle. It is the Chinese people's great contribution to global food security, world peace and development.