Mr Chairman, Mr President and Distinguished Delegates,

It is a great honour for me to head the Chinese delegation to attend the twenty-fifth Session of the governing Council of the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD). On behalf of the Chinese government and the Chinese delegation, I would like to take this opportunity to extend my sincere greetings and best wishes to Mr Chairman, Mr President, our friends from IFAD and other UN organisations as well as other delegates. Meanwhile, I would like to wish this session of the Governing Council a full success.

Over the past two decades, as an international organisation for the purpose of alleviating poverty and starvation, IFAD has made a positive contribution to supporting rural economic development and improving farmers' production and living conditions in the impoverished areas of the developing countries. For this reason, in the name of the Chinese government and the Chinese delegation, I would like to express our appreciation to IFAD for its great efforts and effective work.

In the new century, we still share the same severe global challenges of starvation and poverty. All governments and international organisations as well as the whole international community shall stick to their commitment of making greater efforts in alleviating starvation and poverty. Being an international financial organization aiming at poverty alleviation, IFAD should further increase its investment in the impoverished areas all over the world so as to continue its special role in improving the production and living conditions of the world poor and to promoting sustainable and stable development in these areas. To this end, we hope that all parties concerned will give further support to the replenishment of IFAD's resources so that the IFAD instruments for poverty alleviation might be reinforced. The Chinese government has committed itself to donate 10 million US dollars to the Fifth Replenishment of IFAD's Resources. By doing so, the Chinese government has shown its great concerns over the IFAD work. On the preconditions of available financial resources, the Chinese government will seriously take account of its donation to the Sixth Replenishment. We also hope that other member countries will give more flexible and positive response to it. Moreover, we hope that IFAD will seek more funding sources for its Sixth Replenishment.

After 20 years of reform and opening-up, the impoverished areas in China have made considerable progress. The poverty situation in Chinese rural areas has been greatly ameliorated, and the poverty population has reduced to a great extent. However, in a relatively long period, poverty for certain population groups in certain areas will inevitably exist. Although the population that has considerable difficulties in subsistence is not very large, we still have a long way to go before permanently solving their problems. For those who are preliminarily freed from poverty, owing to no fundamental changes in their production and living conditions, they do not have reliable sources for subsistence. It is hard task to prevent them from returning into poverty. For those who are generally freed from poverty, owing to a low level of subsistence, they have to make more efforts to have a better-off life. It is a long-term task for us to thoroughly change the backward social and economic situation in these areas and narrow the gap among regions. Therefore, the Chinese government will take the following measures to continue its efforts in poverty alleviation: First, we will hold the principle of alleviating poverty through an integrated, all -round and sustainable development. Second, we will take the absolute poor as the priority target in poverty alleviation efforts, while taking measures to help those who are preliminarily freed from poverty increase their income and further improve their production and living conditions in order to reinforce the achievements. The priority areas will be the ethnic groups inhabited areas in the Middle and West China, the border areas and the destitute areas where the poverty population makes up a fairly large proportion. Third, we will focus on the development of plant and animal farming in these efforts. And at the same time, we will take the promotion of industrialised operations in agriculture, the improvement of infrastructure facilities in these areas, the increase of technological contribution to poverty alleviation and the improvement of the educational level of the poverty population as the major instruments in doing so. Fourth, policies of increasing and strengthening the management over financial resources from the government for such purpose and developing international cooperation in this aspect will act as guarantee in effectively promoting the poverty alleviation activities.

IFAD is the first international financial organisation investing in China. Up to now, it has had 16 investment projects in China and the total agreed loans has amounted to 400 million US dollars. All of these projects have been implemented smoothly and played a positive role in promoting the development in China's impoverished areas. On this occasion, I would like to express my sincere thanks to IFAD, its member countries and international organisations for your kind support to the agricultural development and to the impoverished areas in the country. Moreover, I also hope that IFAD and parties concerned would give more support to China in its poverty alleviation efforts by launching more projects in China so as to make greater contribution to alleviating poverty, maintaining our achievements and continuous development in these areas.

The Chinese government and the Chinese people cherish their friendly co-operative relations with IFAD and its member countries as well as will other international organisation, and sincerely hope to continue this effective cooperation in the 21st century. And we hope that we will continue to work together to make appropriate contribution to alleviating the starvation and poverty worldwide and to accelerating the agricultural and rural development in all countries of the world.

Thank you Mr Chairman.