Chinese Vice Premier Hui Liangyu and Kanayo Nwanze, president of the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), agreed to enhance cooperation between the two sides during their meeting in Beijing on Sunday.

Speaking highly of IFAD's support in facilitating China's rural poverty reduction, Hui said China's experience in rural development greatly contributed to the global poverty reduction and also enriched the theory of international development.

China supports the IFAD to play a greater role in global agricultural development and rural poverty eradication, and hopes the two sides would expand cooperation, make joint efforts to realization of the United Nations Millennium Development Goals.

Nwanze, who began the visit on October 9, hailed China's reconstruction work in Sichuan Province, where a catastrophic earthquake occurred on May 12, 2008.

He said China's practice on poverty alleviation was effective, and pledged to strengthen IFAD cooperation with China, to advance the global poverty relief work.

IFAD has provided 23 projects for agriculture development in China worth $600 million, benefiting 30 million rural people.

(Xinhua News Agency October 11, 2009)