On September 14, Liu Xiaoming, Governor of Hainan Province, met with a high-level delegation from the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) in Haikou to discuss South-South cooperation.

Liu welcomed the delegation and thanked FAO for its long-standing support for Hainan. He provided an update on the development of the Hainan Free Trade Port (FTP) and highlighted opportunities for international agricultural cooperation. He emphasized that South-South cooperation is a vital pathway for developing countries to strengthen solidarity and pursue common development.

As a key area of China's opening up, Hainan is ready to actively promote and implement South-South and triangular cooperation. With FAO's support, Hainan will deepen cooperation with all parties in tropical agricultural technology, trade, green development, AI in agriculture, and food security, working together to transform agrifood systems and support the UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

Yang Hua, Director of FAO's South-South and Triangular Cooperation Division (SSTC), and other members of the delegation, noted that FAO has been deepening its cooperation and exchanges with Hainan in recent years. This collaboration has yielded fruitful results in tropical agriculture, seed industry innovation, and international partnerships.

The study tour brought together ambassadors to FAO and high-level officials from 14 countries, including Zimbabwe, South Africa, Sri Lanka, and Mongolia. It is a high-level study tour on South-South and triangular cooperation to transform agrifood systems. Participants hoped the visit would deepen their understanding of Hainan and uncover new opportunities for collaboration. They also sought to strengthen technical exchanges and agricultural project cooperation, supporting the global transformation, upgrading, and sustainable development of agriculture.

Li Feng, Vice-Governor of Hainan Province, and Cai Qiang, Secretary-General of the People's Government of Hainan Province, attended the meeting.