Chinese Vice Premier Hui Liangyu met in Rome Thursday separately with the heads of the International Fund for Agriculture Development (IFAD) and the UN Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO) during a stopover on his official visit to Brazil, Chile and Colombia.  

Since China's accession into the IFAD in 1983, China has effectively cooperated with the IFAD in fighting poverty and promoting sustainable development in China's rural areas, and millions of people living in poverty have benefited from the cooperation, Hui told IFAD President Lennart Bage during their meeting.

The Chinese government has pledged a strengthening of its anti-poverty and development campaign while sticking to the policy of combating poverty through development and achieving sustainable and all-round development.

Hui expressed his hope that IFAD will continue supporting China's anti-poverty and development drive.

During his meeting with FAO Deputy Director-General David Harcharik, Hui said that as a major agricultural economy, China has always given top priority to agricultural development.

The Chinese government attaches great importance to the role of the FAO and would like to strengthen the cooperation with the FAO in such fields as food security, sustainable development of the rural areas and agricultural technologies, Hui said.

Bage and Harcharik expressed satisfaction over the cooperation with China and said their organizations are ready to strengthen ties with China.

(Xinhua News Agency April 16, 2004)