ASEAN, China urge world community to strengthen food security

ANKARA (AA) – The 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and China have called upon the international community to strengthen food security, which is a critical pillar of national security and a strategic guarantee of global peace and development.

They recognized food security as a fundamental human right in a joint statement issued on Saturday from Phnom Penh, Cambodia's capital, following the 25th ASEAN-China Summit.

The leaders also warned that climate change, COVID-19, geopolitical conflicts, and supply chain disruptions have posed severe challenges to global food security governance and that the food crisis is expected to prolong and spread.

"ASEAN countries and China are active participants and important contributors to regional and global food security and are willing to further strengthen their policy communication, exchanges and cooperation," according to a statement posted on the ASEAN official website.

The leaders also agreed to ensure food security for the region’s two billion-plus population, stabilize regional food markets and set an example for global food security governance.

In order to increase food productivity, the countries agreed to strengthen cooperation and increase the productivity of rice, corn, soybean, and other major crops to ensure food availability by expanding the effective supply of diverse foods such as meats, aquatic products, fruits, and vegetables.

ASEAN – a regional bloc comprising Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam – was founded on Aug. 8, 1967, in Bangkok, Thailand.

- ASEAN Plus Three summit kicks off

Meanwhile, the 25th ASEAN Plus Three – China, Japan, South Korea – summit kicked off on Saturday in Cambodia’s capital, attended by ASEAN countries’ leaders as well as Chinese Premier Li Keqiang and South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol, while Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida expected to arrive later in the day.

According to Kung Phoak, Secretary of State at Cambodia's Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, the 25th ASEAN Plus Three (APT) Summit, 19th ASEAN-India Summit, 2nd ASEAN-Australia Summit, 25th ASEAN-Japan Summit, 10th ASEAN-US Summit, and ASEAN-Canada Commemorative Summit will all take place on Saturday.

"South Korea will play an active role as this year's chair of the South Korea-China-Japan summit and coordinator representing South Korea, China, and Japan for the ASEAN Plus Three," President Yoon said during the summit's opening session, according to Yonhap News Agency.

"I hope trilateral cooperation mechanisms, including the South Korea-China-Japan summit, will be swiftly reactivated," he added.

South Korea, Japan, and China have not held a trilateral summit since 2019 because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

*Writing by Islamuddin Sajid