President,

I welcome Foreign Minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen in presiding over today's meeting. I thank Secretary-General António Guterres and Acting Executive Director Carl Skau for their briefings, and I also listened carefully to the statement by Ms. Perrine Benoist.

The people are the foundation of a nation, and food is of paramount importance to the people. Food security is vital to human survival and national stability. With advances in science and technology and increased investment in production factors, humanity's capacity for food production has grown significantly. Yet, due to factors such as war and conflict, food insecurity remains a grave challenge, with 318 million people worldwide facing acute hunger, particularly in conflict-affected regions such as Africa and the Middle East. While implementing Security Council resolution 2417, the international community should adopt comprehensive and coordinated measures, work together to safeguard global food security, and ensure that people are free from hunger. I would like to make four points.

First, promote a ceasefire and end hostilities to ensure a secure environment for food production. Raging conflicts displace people, destroy farmland and disrupt food production, and are an important driver of humanitarian crises and hunger. The Security Council bears the primary responsibility for maintaining international peace and security. It should make promoting political solutions to conflicts a priority, actively engage in mediation and good offices, encourage the parties to resolve their differences through dialogue, and work for an early and lasting ceasefire to create the basic conditions for restoring agricultural production. International humanitarian law is a fundamental baseline that must be respected. Hunger must never, under any circumstances, be used as a weapon of war. Parties to the conflict should always put the protection of life first, protect agricultural infrastructure, avoid disrupting agricultural activities, and ensure that humanitarian assistance, including food aid, is delivered without obstruction.

Second, remove obstacles to circulation and maintain stable and smooth food production and supply chains. In the context of economic globalization, food production and supply are closely linked to the international situation, particularly the global logistics and transportation system. In the face of intensifying geopolitical rivalry and regional conflicts, the international community should ensure the safe and unobstructed operation of land and sea trade routes and the normal flow of essential goods such as food and fertilizer. China welcomes the UN initiative to establish a time-bound operational mechanism for the Strait of Hormuz and supports a greater role for the United Nations. At the same time, all parties should further uphold open and transparent market policies, deepen international cooperation on food supply, and promote the rational allocation of food resources globally. Artificial trade barriers should be avoided so as not to disrupt the orderly functioning of food trade or politicize and instrumentalize food issues. The abuse of unilateral sanctions will only further exacerbate food insecurity.

Third, promote common development and help countries strengthen resilience in food production. Insufficient development capacity has left some countries facing food shortages, while extreme weather events such as floods and droughts have further compounded the problem. All countries should make food production and distribution a strategic priority. The international community should take a long-term perspective and support developing countries in improving infrastructure such as farmland and water conservancy facilities, gaining access to advanced agricultural technologies, and strengthening their capacity for independent food production, so as to shift from providing immediate assistance to building self-sustaining capacity. Developed countries have a special responsibility in providing development assistance and climate finance. They should take concrete action to help relevant countries withstand the impact of natural disasters, bridge development gaps, and address the conditions that give rise to conflict and food insecurity.

Fourth, uphold multilateralism and improve the global food security governance system. Food security governance is a global issue that requires coordinated action and a collective response from all countries. It cannot be dictated by a handful of countries or interest groups. All parties should firmly support the United Nations in playing a central role, and support organizations such as the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, the International Fund for Agricultural Development and the World Food Programme in fulfilling their respective mandates and strengthening coordination. The representation and voice of emerging market economies and developing countries in international organizations dealing with food-related issues should be effectively enhanced. We should uphold the principles of extensive consultation, joint contribution and shared benefits, promote a more equitable, reasonable, inclusive and effective global food security governance system, and safeguard the common interests of all countries.

President,

As the world's largest grain producer, China feeds more than 1.4 billion people with less than 9 percent of the world's arable land. More than one fifth of the world's grain is produced in China. Through our own efforts, we have achieved basic self-sufficiency in grain supply and absolute security of staple food. This is not only a great achievement in China's development, but also a major contribution to safeguarding global food security.

China has always been committed to strengthening international cooperation, helping improve global food security and contributing to global poverty reduction. The Global Development Initiative and the Global Governance Initiative proposed by President Xi Jinping provide important guidance for deepening global cooperation on food security and advancing reform of the global food security governance system. China is the developing country that has provided the most funding, dispatched the most experts and implemented the most projects under the FAO South-South cooperation framework. China has engaged in agricultural cooperation with more than 140 countries and regions, promoted more than 1,000 agricultural technologies in developing countries, and trained more than 14,000 professional and technical personnel in hybrid rice, taking concrete actions to help address global food shortages. China stands ready to continue upholding the vision of building a community with a shared future for humanity, work with all parties, and make greater contributions to the complete eradication of global hunger and to world peace, security, development and prosperity.

Thank you, President.