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China’s Xi Jinping repeats call for food security as US rivalry and external uncertainties grow
- Grain security has been marked out as a pillar of national security for China, as tensions with the US escalate
- Stable and safe supplies are top priorities in nation’s quest to become an agricultural powerhouse, President Xi Jinping tells annual rural work conference
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China has pledged to ensure stable grain supply and strengthen technological self-reliance in agricultural production, as it pushes for rural revitalisation to counter economic headwinds and weather geopolitical complications.
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“Ensuring a stable and safe supply of grain and important agricultural products are of the utmost importance to establish an agricultural powerhouse,” President Xi Jinping told a key annual work conference on rural issues.
He also called for efforts to increase grain output and the quality of arable land, as well as achieve new breakthroughs in home-grown high-yield seeds.
“We should rely on ourselves to hold the rice bowl steady,” state media quoted Xi as saying at the Central Rural Work Conference in Beijing.
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2-metre ‘giant rice’ twice as tall as other varieties nearly ready for first harvest in China
2-metre ‘giant rice’ twice as tall as other varieties nearly ready for first harvest in China
The two-day event, which wrapped up on Saturday, aimed to lay out the major priorities for the coming year.
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