10 June 2002
Mr. Chairman,
Excellencies,
Ladies and
Gentlemen,
Dear Friends,
Five years after
the 1996 World Food Summit, leaders and representatives of
various countries gather in Rome today to review the
implementation of the Plan of Action of the 1996 Summit and
discuss the important issue of global food security in the
new century. This is of great and far-reaching
significance. On behalf of the Chinese Government, I wish to
extend my warm congratulations on the convocation of the
Summit and express our appreciation for the highly effective
work done by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the
United Nations and our heartfelt gratitude to the Italian
Government for its efforts in hosting the
Summit.
Food affords the very basis for human
survival and development. And food security bears on
national stability and world peace. Since the
World Food Summit in 1996, governments of various countries
and the international community have made tremendous efforts
in fighting hunger and undernourishment in accordance with
the Plan of Action of the 1996 Summit, and have achieved
some results. But at the same time we should not
fail to see that progress made in implementing the Plan of
Action is still very much limited. Some
deep-seated problems that have long been plaguing world food
security are still unbridled, hunger and poverty remain
epidemic in many developing countries, and the population of
undernourishment in the whole world is as large as 790
million. It requires continued efforts of all
governments to meet the set objective of the 1996
Summit.
China is the most populous country and
biggest food consumer in the world. The Chinese
Government has all along set it as a top priority to
strengthen agriculture and secure adequate food supply for
the people. Thanks to the hard efforts made over
half a century, particularly in the past twenty years or
more since the reform and opening up, China has
substantially enhanced its capacity of food production, and
accomplished the historic transformation in food and other
agricultural produce supply, from chronic shortage to a
general balance and with surplus in years of good harvest.
Thus China has, on its own strength, created a
miracle of providing its 1.3 billion people with adequate
food and clothing. Over the past 20 years, we have
resolved the problem of food for more than 200 million rural
people living in poverty. As things stand now,
China has reached the world average level in per capita food
availability, and per capita daily calorie and protein
intake. With less than 10% of worlds arable
land, China has fed 22% of the worlds population,
safeguarding the most basic human right of the entire
Chinese people ---- the right to subsistence. This
represents an enormous contribution to world peace and
development.
In resolving the issue of food
security, China has taken in the main the following
measures:
First, China places
agriculture on the very top of the priority list at all
times in national economic development and has spared no
effort in promoting food production. China has
established and improved the supportive and protective
system for agriculture, and has consistently increased the
input in the sector.
Second, China
has pressed ahead with rural reforms. It has
adhered to and further improved the contracted household
operation system and has given guarantee to peasants
long-term right of land use and independent operation, thus
fully arousing and protecting the enthusiasm of peasants.
Third, China has
strengthened the development of its agricultural
infrastructure and ecological environment, continued to
improve the conditions for agricultural production, and
enhanced its capacity to fend off natural
disasters.
Fourth, China has
disseminated the application of advanced agricultural
technology and superior varieties, upgraded science
knowledge and education level of vast number of peasants,
and made vigorous efforts to facilitate the transformation
of traditional agriculture into a modern one.
Fifth, China has
improved its food purchase and marketing system and related
market services, and enhanced peasants capacity for
warding off market risks.
Sixth, China has adhered
to the principle of alleviating poverty through development.
China has focused on the improvement of the
production and living conditions of poorer regions, helping
peasants there to solve food problem and rid themselves of
poverty through development of production.
Mr.
Chairman,
Since the 1996 World Food Summit,
the Chinese Government has earnestly honoured its relevant
commitments and further consolidated the fundamental
standing of agriculture, bringing Chinas food
production and its level of food security to a new high.
We shall continue to act in accordance with the
Plan of Action of the 1996 Summit and take effective
measures to protect our food production capacity so as to
lay a good foundation for economic growth and social
progress.
Food security is a global issue.
It is the responsibility of all countries in the
world and the international community to strive to eliminate
hunger and poverty, and ensure to each and every one of us
living on this planet the basic right of having access to
adequate food and being free from hunger. I wish
to hereby spell out the principled position and propositions
of the Chinese Government on how to resolve the issue of
food security.
Firstly, safeguarding world
peace and stability is the basic prerequisite for
eliminating hunger and securing food security.
Regrettably, however, we cannot but see that the
current world is far from being tranquil. Local
wars, internal strife, regional conflicts and all forms of
terrorist activities break out from time to time.
This has not only devastated the productive
forces, but has also displaced millions of people, reducing
them to the threat of hunger and death. Without
peace and stability, development could not be achieved, the
basic conditions for food production would not be available,
and hunger and poverty could not be eradicated.
We call on all countries to observe the purposes and
principles of the UN Charter and the basic norms governing
international relations, jointly facilitate the
establishment of a just and rational new international
political and economic order, and safeguard world peace and
regional stability, so as to create a favourable environment
for achieving world food security and progress of human
societies. China is a responsible country and the
Chinese people love peace. We will continue our
positive efforts for world peace and
stability.
Secondly, it is a basic duty of all
governments to resolve the issue of food security.
Only by resolving first and foremost the basic
issue of peoples survival, will it be possible for a
country to maintain social stability and secure a foundation
for the development of all other undertakings. As
for now, many developing countries are subject to the double
constraints of domestic food underproduction and lack of
food import capacity. At the end of the day, to
resolve the problem of food supply depends on economic
development. Governments should first rely on
their domestic strength, formulate development strategies
conducive to food and agricultural production, and work hard
to enhance the capacity of food production. At the
same time, they should bring into full play their resource
advantages, actively develop their unique industries,
improve their international competitiveness, and enhance
their level of economic development and capacity of
international payment.
Thirdly, for the
development of food production, we must attach importance to
the rational utilization of resources and the protection of
environment. At present, desertification is
expanding in some regions, resulting in shrinking arable
land, shortage of water, deteriorating ecological
environment, and frequent occurrence of natural disasters,
devastating the vital basis for the development of food and
agriculture production, and severely threatening human
survival and development. The development of food
production needs to follow the law of nature, not at the
expense of the environment. We should attach
importance to the rational development and utilization of
such natural resources as land and fresh water in protection
of the ecological environment, research on and disseminate
production technology conducive to environmental and
resource protection, and realize sustainable development of
food and agriculture. Excessively fast growth of
population should be checked to maintain harmony between
mankind and nature.
Fourthly, to ensure global
food security requires strengthened international
cooperation. Constrained by historical reasons
known to all and other objective conditions, many developing
countries suffer from sluggish economic development and
long-term poverty, which is one of the key causes for hunger
and malnutrition. In todays world where the
trend of economic globalisation is developing further, these
countries are in a very disadvantageous position.
The international community, especially developed
countries, should pay more attention to the difficulties of
these countries and help promote their economic development
by providing them with more official development assistance,
further reducing their burden of debts, speeding up
technology transfer, abandoning trade protectionism and
opening market to developing countries. While
promoting trade liberalization of agricultural products,
extensive consultation should be held, the realities and
reasonable demands of developing countries should be taken
into full consideration, and the interests of the vast
number of developing countries must be accommodated.
Only when developing countries, especially the
poorest countries, enjoy economic development, can the
objective of eliminating hunger and malnutrition in the
world be truly realized.
Mr.
Chairman,
Over a long period of time, China has
actively participated in the international exchanges and
cooperation in the field of food and agriculture.
China has established good cooperative relations
with United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization, World
Food Programme and other international organizations and
agencies. We shall never forget that, when China
was experiencing severe setbacks of food production caused
by natural disasters, many countries and international
organizations rendered assistance to China. On behalf of the
Chinese Government and people, I hereby would like to extend
our sincere gratitude to them. On our part, China
has also provided assistance within its capacity to some
developing countries one way or the other over the years.
To sum up my speech, Id like to stress that
China is a developing country which needs to work hard for
decades to reach the level of a moderately developed
country. As Chinas economy is growing and
its national strength improving, China will continue to make
its due contribution to food security of the world,
especially that of the developing countries. I am
convinced that, as long as the international community and
all countries work together and strengthen their
cooperation, the objectives set by World Food Summit will be
realized. The Chinese Government and people stand
ready to work with governments and peoples in the world to
make unremitting efforts for the realization of these
objectives.
Thank you.