Grain-Oil Summit to further promote international cooperation

An international grain and oil summit hosted by Xi’an municipal government and China Vegetable Oil Association was held on Feb 22 and 23 for further cooperation among the countries along the regions of the Belt and Road Initiative.Xi'an International Trade & Logistics Port Managing Committee signs cooperation agreements with COFCO Corporation and YihaiKerry Company at the summit.[Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

The summit aimed at strengthening ties and cooperation with the world's major grain producing countries, promoting the implementation of the national food security strategy, and creating greater opportunities and space for the common development and prosperity of agriculture in China.

The activities were supported by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, National Development and Reform Commission, the Ministry of Commerce, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, the General Administration of Customs, the State Food and Materials Reserve Bureau. Food and Oil Industry associations and enterprises from China, Russia, Ukraine and Kazakhstan gathered to discuss issues in grain and oil processing and international trade.

During the summit, the Silk Road International Declaration on Grain and Oil in Xi'an was officially issued; the Silk Road International Blue Paper on Grain and Oil project was also announced at the same time and Xi’an was announced to be the permanent site of the International Grain and Oil Summit.

Gao Gao, vice mayor of Xi’an city, said at the summit that in 2018 alone, Xi'an imported 26,000 tons of grain from Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan and transported it to China through the Sino-Europ charter train "Chang'an".

“At present, Xi'an has become a strategic city and a national comprehensive transport hub. It is capable of providing high-quality port services, convenient delivery services and efficient customs clearance services for all countries along the regions of the Belt and Road Initiative,” the vice mayor said.