Chinese officials urge further promotion of food security, trade at APEC meeting

VLADIVOSTOK, Russia - Senior Chinese officials on Wednesday called for continued efforts to improve food security and multinational trading system at a ministerial meeting of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) group.

Assistant Foreign Minister Ma Zhaoxu said the key way to safeguard food security was to steadily promote agricultural productivity, maintain a stable amount of sown areas for grain plantation, and increase grain output.

He called on the APEC members to expand agricultural investment, improve the investment environment and terminate investment barriers.

China supports proposals to develop new technologies, including biotechnology, to lay the foundation for sustainable food security, Ma said.

He also urged international cooperation and information sharing on disaster prevention and mitigation, adding that China is willing to play an active part in the Asia-Pacific region on the issue and share its experiences.

Chinese Assistant Commerce Minister Yu Jianhua said China opposes protectionism, stressing that negotiations over trade facilitation should reflect the interests of developing economies.

As a strong advocate for a multilateral trading system, APEC should continue to make the trading system even more dynamic, Yu said.

Yu also said China has played an active part in all negotiations over the liberalization of environmental goods and is happy to see the accomplishments obtained so far.

China would like to see that all parties could build on those achievements and reach an even broader consensus in line with the principle of voluntary participation and consultation, Yu said.