On November 6th, the 16th Belt and Road Eco-Agriculture and Food Safety Forum was successfully held in Shanghai as a concurrent event of the 6th China International Import Expo. The forum was hosted by the State Administration for Market Regulation and co-organized by the Shanghai Municipal Administration for Market Regulation, the Development Research Center of the State Administration for Market Regulation, and the Secretariat of the Belt and Road Eco-Agriculture and Food Safety Forum. Zhang Ming, Secretary-General of The Shanghai Cooperation Organization, attended the opening ceremony of the forum and delivered a speech.
hang Ming, Secretary-General of The Shanghai Cooperation Organization, attended the opening ceremony of the forum and delivered a speech
Honorable Mr. Tian Shihong, Mr. Chen Jie, and distinguished guests,
Ladies, gentlemen, and friends:
It is a pleasure to be invited to the opening ceremony of the Belt and Road Eco-Agriculture and Food Safety Forum. I would like to take this opportunity to express my gratitude to the State Administration for Market Regulation of China for their invitation.
Today’s world faces the important tasks of maintaining ecological balance, ensuring food safety, and protecting public health, as nations strive to achieve the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. In this context, the introduction of sustainable ecological technologies in agriculture and the enhancement of food safety standards are particularly crucial.
The Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) covers a region integral to the global economy. The population of its member states accounts for nearly half of the global population, and the issue of global food security undoubtedly impacts China. Within the SCO, some countries are major producers and consumers of agricultural products and food, as well as key exporters and importers. Their agricultural trade accounts for one-tenth of the global total, making sustainable development in agriculture and food a focal point for the organization.
Agriculture has been identified as a priority area for cooperation in the ‘Development Strategy of The Shanghai Cooperation Organization until 2025.’ Within the SCO framework, there are mechanisms like the Meeting of Ministers of Agriculture and the Permanent Expert Working Group on Agricultural Issues. Member states are fully implementing strategic documents such as the ‘SCO Agreement on Agricultural Cooperation’ and the ‘Outline for Cooperation in Food Security.’
The SCO region holds immense potential for technological innovation, with a particular focus on green development. Under the framework of the SCO’s initiative on smart agriculture and agricultural innovation cooperation, member states are actively collaborating to develop, introduce, and adopt advanced technologies, digital solutions, and modern agricultural production methods. The Yangling SCO Agricultural Technology Exchange and Training Demonstration Base in Xi’an, China, exemplifies successful practice in this field by the SCO.
With the increasing prominence of regional and global environmental issues, the SCO is progressively addressing concerns like soil safety, combating desertification, adapting agriculture to climate change, and introducing water-saving technologies. To tackle these challenges, the SCO is expanding its cooperation with the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific, and other specialized UN agencies. The ‘SCO Green Belt Initiative’ is currently being implemented, and the year 2024 has been declared as the ‘SCO Year of Ecology.’ Moreover, to facilitate the expansion of food trade, effective cooperation has been established among the plant quarantine departments of member states under the framework of the SCO Plant Quarantine Cooperation Agreement.
The SCO region is a vital link in the Eurasian land transport corridor, where our ancestors pioneered the ancient Silk Road. The Belt and Road Initiative, proposed 10 years ago by President Xi Jinping, a member state of the SCO, in Kazakhstan, another member state, holds significant practical importance for regional and global connectivity, unimpeded trade, and food security. Member states of the organization have made relentless efforts in support of this initiative.
Through such cooperation, the SCO has contributed responsibly and to the best of its ability to ensuring global food security and achieving the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. This aligns perfectly with the essence of the ‘Shanghai Spirit.’
I hope that today’s forum will provide an excellent opportunity for participants to exchange views, identify common solutions to regional and global agricultural and food security challenges, and propose practical and effective recommendations.
Finally, I wish the forum great success!
Thank you!
The theme of the forum is, ‘Deepening the Belt and Road Cooperation in Agriculture and Food: Jointly Creating a Better Life for Humanity.’ Leaders from the State Administration for Market Regulation, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, National Health Commission, General Administration of Customs, as well as leaders from Shanghai, Henan, Hainan, and other provincial governments, representatives of provincial market supervision departments, representatives of relevant United Nations organizations, the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, and embassies of South Africa, the Netherlands, Colombia, Sri Lanka, Bulgaria, Tanzania, Senegal, among others, along with over 400 delegates from domestic and international enterprises, participated in the forum. Guests collectively deliberated on agricultural cooperation and food industry development, contributing insights and strategies for the high-quality development of agriculture and food industries in the Belt and Road Initiative, highlighting the role of the forum as a platform for policy interpretation.
2023 marks the 10th anniversary of the proposal of the Belt and Road Initiative and the 10th anniversary of the Belt and Road Eco-Agriculture and Food Safety Forum. Over the past decade, the forum has been successfully held for 15 sessions within the framework of the National Food Safety Publicity Week and the China International Import Expo. The forum has solidly promoted high-quality joint construction of the Belt and Road, extensively conducted exchanges and cooperation in the agricultural and food industries, played a significant role in the development and safety of agricultural food industries in the countries along the route, and facilitated smooth international trade among the Belt and Road countries.
