Strengthening China-ASEAN Agricultural Cooperation

Yuan Yanan

Chinas food prices have largely remained stable against the backdrop of a sharp rise in global prices and the subsequent food security crisis. Data from the National Bureau of Statistics of China released on July 15 showed that the countrys grain prices rose by 2.4 percent in the first half of this year. Is China safe from food insecurity？ How can China and ASEAN strengthen cooperation on agriculture？ Zhang Yunhua， deputy director of the Research Department of Rural Economy at the Development Research Center of the State Council of China， sat down with China Report ASEAN to share his opinion.

China ASEAN Report： How will rising global food prices affect Chinas domestic market？

Zhang Yunhua： Chinas food security strategy always emphasizes domestic food supply， which has helped the country ensure self-sufficiency in grain and sufficient supply of staple foods for years. But China relies on imports to fill gaps in the supply of soybeans and corn， so the roaring food prices in the international market still affect Chinas domestic market.

Since the beginning of this year， some countries have adopted protective measures to reduce exports of grains， leading to rising import prices for China. With imports becoming less attractive， Chinas domestic food market is likely to feel some pressure to maintain stable prices.

China-ASEAN Report： China and ASEAN have seen increased cooperation in agricultural technology. What do you expect from future cooperation in this area？

Zhang Yunhua： China imports different food items from multiple countries and regions. Rice is the most important staple food for Chinese people， and ASEAN remains a primary source of Chinas rice imports as well as a main partner in research and development of rice production technology thanks to geographic proximity， similar climate， and good relations.

China and ASEAN enjoy broadprospects for cooperation in thedevelopment and promotionof rice-breeding technology.I believe the two sides canengage in greater cooperationin rice production and trade.Establishing a China-ASEAN ricecooperation alliance， for example， would be a solid step towardsenhancing bilateral cooperationin food security.

China-ASEAN Report： Climate change is now fueling globalwarming and exacerbatingextreme weather. How will thisaffect agricultural production inChina？

Zhang Yunhua： Almosteveryone agrees that risingtemperatures and extremeweather caused by climate change will hurt agricultural production， but we can still adapt to thechanging climate and improvefood production accordingly. Forexample， regions with a shortfrost-free period are going tobenefit from a warmer climate.

Weather data in recent decades have indicated it could getwarmer and wetter in northernChina. Rising temperaturesand increased precipitation areexpected to help improve grainoutput in the northern region.In terms of coping with climatechange， we should leverageour advantages and avoid ourdisadvantages. Greater effortsshould be made to improvefarmland， irrigation， and drainage infrastructure and optimizeusage of farmland to maintainChinas agricultural development momentum.