Co-hosted by the State Administration for Market Regulation of P.R.China, the Chinese People's Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries, the Silk-road Planning and Research Center, and the Codex Alimentarius Commission, the Belt and Road Eco-agriculture and Food Safety Forum was successfully held on November 6, 2020 at the Shanghai National Convention and Exhibition Center.
Chen Tong, Vice Mayor of the Shanghai Municipal People's Government attended the Forum and delivered a speech.

Your Excellencies,
Distinguished leaders and guests,
Ladies and Gentlemen, Dear Friends,

Hello everyone! I am very pleased to participate in the 13th Belt and Road Forum on Eco-Agriculture and Food Safety during the Third China International Import Expo. On behalf of the Shanghai Municipal People's Government, I would like to extend my warmest congratulations on the convening of this forum and welcome all distinguished guests to Shanghai.

The people regard food as the most important thing in the world, and food safety is of basic demand of the people. As a major producer, consumer and exporter of agricultural products and foodstuffs, food safety has always been a top priority for the CPC and the Government. President Xi Jinping stressed that the ability of satisfying people in food safety is a major test of our governance capacity; we should accelerate the establishment of a scientific food and drug safety governance system with the most stringent regulatory measures and the most strict punishment.

As a metropolitan, Shanghai has always attached great importance to food safety. In recent years, we have been implementing a food safety strategy with the goal of building a food-safe city that satisfies its citizens, and the overall food safety situation in Shanghai in orderly, controllable and stable.

Firstly, have more professional supervision and take food safety as the bottom line. Prevent issues from the beginning, have a harsh process supervision and risk control, establish a unified, authoritative and efficient food safety supervision system. Defense every stage from farmland to table to ensure that people can have peace of mind about the food they eat. Actively optimize the functions and productivity layout, improve the production capacity of green agricultural products, promote the high-quality development of the green food industry, and effectively ensure the diversification of food sources.

Secondly, insist on technological empowerment and enhance the efficiency of food safety supervision. Ultimately promote the "Internet Plus Food" intelligent supervision, and the application of big data, cloud computing, Internet of Things, artificial intelligence and other technologies in the field of food safety. Improve a new type of supervision mechanism based on "an oversight model of random inspection and public release" and credit supervision, supervise the key parts as a complimentary. Comprehensively build a food safety supervision information system during and after production.

Thirdly, extensive guidance and mobilization are being provided to promote social governance of food safety. Emphasis on the community-level self-governance system, social coordination and volunteerism in promoting autonomous food safety management. Deputies to the National People's Congress, members of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference and experts are invited to serve as food safety supervisors and pay open and unannounced visits. A total of 233 community food and drug safety science and technology stations have been established, popular food and drug science and technology services to citizens' homes.

The fourth is to deepen regional cooperation and promote the integration of food safety in the Yangtze River Delta. Establish the traceability standards for food and edible agricultural products that are recognizable in the Yangtze River Delta region, and jointly build a Yangtze River Delta food safety information traceability platform with Nanjing, Wuxi, Hangzhou, Ningbo, Hefei and other Yangtze River Delta cities. 

Since the outbreak of the new COVID-19 epidemic this year, we have immediately banned and cracked down on illegal wildlife markets and transactions, resolutely eradicated the practice of indiscriminate consumption of wildlife, comprehensively closed designated live bird markets, and stopped the live bird trade; comprehensively strengthened the regular epidemic prevention work in agricultural commodity markets, especially strengthening the disinfection of cold food and the sampling of new coronavirus to ensure the safety of various types of food during the epidemic; vigorously advocated the use of serving chopsticks and spoons, and actively promoted the serving of individual dishes to help the public establish a correct dining concept; and fully guaranteed the reopening economies to ensure a stable supply of grain and oil in the market.

As economic globalization deepens and interdependence among countries increases, food safety has become a common global challenge. The strengthening of food safety governance requires close collaboration among countries around the world and the participation of all sectors of society. "Food Safety For All", is of great practical significance. We look forward to hearing the insights of our distinguished guests. We believe that your in-depth discussions will have a positive influence on raising awareness of global food safety, promoting international cooperation and facilitating the high-quality development of ecological agriculture and the food industry in countries and regions along the "Belt and Road".

I wish this forum a great success and wish all the guests a pleasant stay in Shanghai! Thank you!