The parallel session of the 9th Hongqiao International Economic Forum, themed “Brand-Building and Agrotrade: Boosting Agricultural Resilience for Global Food Security,” was held in Shanghai on November 5. The session was co-hosted by the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs (MARA) and the Ministry of Commerce. Zhang Zhili, Vice Minister of MARA, attended the session and delivered remarks.  

Vice Minister Zhang noted that the Chinese government coordinates the development of tech-driven, green, quality-oriented, and brand-driven agriculture. It is making vigorous efforts to strengthen agriculture through brand-building and promote agricultural development through trade, while fostering closer coordination between trade and production. These efforts have made important contributions to stabilizing global agricultural supply chains, enhancing resilience, and safeguarding food security. Currently, global agricultural development remains generally stable, with relatively ample supplies of major agro-products. However, regional and structural imbalances remain pronounced. In particular, various destabilizing factors, including geopolitical conflicts, extreme weather and trade protectionism, are posing risks and challenges to global agricultural development and food security. China stands ready to work with all parties to explore effective pathways for strengthening and advancing agriculture. Joint efforts in four key areas are needed: upholding quality as the guiding principle to build stronger agricultural brands; pursuing mutual benefit and win-win cooperation to facilitate smoother trade flows; driving development through innovation to enhance resilience; and sharing responsibilities to safeguard global food security.  

Heath MacDonald, Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food of Canada; Eugen Osmochescu, Minister of Agriculture and Food Industry of Moldova; and Meng Fanjun, Vice President of the Agricultural Bank of China, attended the session and delivered remarks. More than 300 individuals attended the session, including diplomatic envoys of relevant countries to China, representatives of business associations, chambers of commerce, multinational corporations, local agriculture and rural affairs authorities, and outstanding market entities contributing to the high-quality development of agricultural international trade, as well as renowned experts and scholars.