Speakers:
Zhang Wufeng, a member of the Party Leadership Group of the National Development and Reform Commission, head of the National Food and Strategic Reserves Administration
Su Wei, deputy secretary general of the National Development and Reform Commission
Huang Wei, deputy head of the National Food and Strategic Reserves Administration
Chairperson:
Hu Kaihong, spokesperson of the State Council Information Office
Date:
Oct. 14, 2019
Hu Kaihong:
Ladies and gentlemen, friends from the media, good afternoon. Welcome to this conference. Today, the State Council Information Office (SCIO) launched the white paper titled "Food Security in China," and is holding this press conference to brief you on its main content and its details.
With us here today are: Mr. Zhang Wufeng, a member of the Party Leadership Group of the National Development and Reform Commission and head of the National Food and Strategic Reserves Administration; Mr. Su Wei, deputy secretary general of the National Development and Reform Commission; and Mr. Huang Wei, deputy head of the National Food and Strategic Reserves Administration. I'm the SCIO spokesperson Hu Kaihong. I'll host the conference today.
First, I'd like to make a brief introduction to the main content of the white paper. "Food Security in China" is the second white paper on the country's food security issue that the Chinese government launched after the "China Food Issue" released in 1996. It gives us a full picture of the historic achievements and transformation that China has made in the food security field after the founding of the People's Republic of China in 1949, especially after the 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China (CPC) in 2012. It makes a comprehensive introduction to China's philosophies and practices relating to implementing the country's food security strategy and promoting the high-quality development of the grain industry. It demonstrates China's determination to maintain world food security, and build a community with a shared future for mankind. The white paper contains approximately 12,000 words, and comprises the preamble, the main content, and the conclusion.
Since the founding of the People's Republic of China (PRC) in 1949, China has always prioritized food security in state governance. The white paper uses various data and facts to prove that over the past 70 years, despite a weak agricultural foundation and extreme poverty, the Communist Party of China (CPC) has led an unremitting campaign of hard work, making China basically self-sufficient in its food supply. The country now has enough food to feed its nearly 1.4 billion population, and has remarkably improved the people's nutrition and quality of life. China's food security is a success of worldwide significance.
Since the CPC's 18th National Congress in 2012, the CPC Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping at its core has treated food security as a top state issue. The central leadership has introduced a food security policy of "ensuring basic self-sufficiency of grain and absolute security of staple foods." The white paper points out that based on its own national conditions and food availability, China has embarked on a road to establishing food security in its own way by implementing the concepts of being innovative, coordinated, green, open, and inclusive development, the requirements of high-quality development, and a national food security strategy for a new era.
Food security is an essential guarantee for world peace and development, an important foundation for a global community of shared future, and an influential factor for the development and future of humanity. The white paper points out that as the world's largest developing country, and a major country that shoulders its responsibilities, China has always been a positive force in safeguarding world food security. China has been an active promoter of free trade. It has worked hard to fulfill its commitments to the World Trade Organization (WTO), and shares China's food market resources to facilitate world food trade. By expanding international cooperation in food and agriculture actively, participating in global food security governance, China has made an important contribution to the healthy development of the world food industry and food security.
In the last part, the white paper stresses that in the future, under the principle of openness, inclusiveness, equality, mutual benefit, and win-win cooperation, China will be embracing a new situation of opening up with regard to food issues. In pursuit of common development, China is enhancing cooperation with all other countries to safeguard global food security as a contribution to building a global community of shared future.
The white paper has been published in Chinese, English, French, Russian, German, Spanish, Arabic and Japanese by the People's Publishing House and Foreign Language Press. It will be distributed across the country by Xinhua Bookstore.
That's all for the general introduction. Next, I will give the floor to Zhang Wufeng, a member of the Party Leadership Group of the National Development and Reform Commission and head of the National Food and Strategic Reserves Administration.
