China's experience in promoting sustainable development of agriculture and trade is widely praised by the World Trade Organization

Geneva, November 27th (Xinhua) -- During the 114th meeting of the World Trade Organization Committee on Agriculture held from the 24th to the 26th, China held a special seminar on "Promoting Sustainable Development of Agriculture and Trade" to share its experience and solutions, which was highly praised by all parties present.

The thematic seminar is jointly organized by the Chinese Permanent Mission to the World Trade Organization, the Foreign Affairs College, the Institute of Agricultural Information of the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, and the Agricultural Trade Promotion Center of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs. Representatives from international organizations, governments, academia, and industry from multiple countries discuss global economic cooperation, artificial intelligence, and digital agriculture in the field of agriculture.

Qin Tianfang, Counsellor of the Chinese Permanent Mission to the World Trade Organization, stated that the current global agricultural and trade landscape is undergoing changes, with unilateralism and protectionism on the rise, threatening the rule-based multilateral trading system and exacerbating market fragmentation. At the same time, climate change, geopolitical tensions and the far-reaching impact of the COVID-19 epidemic have exposed the vulnerability of the global food supply chain and brought long-term risks to world food security. The challenges facing global sustainable development require the international community to work together to address them.

Liu Jifang, Deputy Director of the Institute of Agricultural Information at the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, and Zhang Wenjia, Deputy Dean of the School of International Economics at the School of Foreign Affairs, delivered keynote speeches, pointing out that chronic hunger, land degradation, and food insecurity are interconnected global issues, and deepening digital cooperation is the key to opening up a new future for global agriculture. They proposed initiatives such as promoting standardization of digital agricultural technology and facilities, jointly promoting digital technology transfer and knowledge sharing, and cultivating future oriented smart agricultural talents.

Economist Karakaya from the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations in Geneva pointed out that concrete actions should be taken to address the challenges of international agricultural trade electronicization, including establishing public policy frameworks, achieving inclusive digital trade, promoting the construction and improvement of digital infrastructure, and establishing and adopting multilateral digital trade standards, rules, and agreements.

Many attending delegates believe that as a developing country, China's experience and solutions in sustainable development of agriculture and trade have reference value for the vast number of developing countries.