New Delhi: In his second official visit to China last week, Alvaro Lario, President of the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), underscored the organization’s commitment to deepening its partnership with the People’s Republic of China.
During his two-day visit to Beijing, Lario met with high-ranking Chinese officials, including Vice Premier Liu Guozhong, and development partners to discuss new avenues for collaboration in rural revitalization and green development, an IFAD press release stated.
Lario highlighted the importance of sharing China’s successful experiences in poverty reduction and rural development with other countries in the Global South. He emphasized that IFAD’s partnership with China is crucial for the organization’s work in Asia and globally. “We look forward to continuing our support for China’s agenda of rural revitalization, and working globally to share our knowledge, resources, and expertise on rural poverty alleviation and empower small-scale farmers through the China-IFAD South-South and Triangular Cooperation facility,” he stated.
Established in 2018, the China-IFAD South-South and Triangular Cooperation Facility has supported projects in more than 38 countries, facilitating business-to-business linkages and directly benefiting approximately 30,000 small-scale farmers. Lario also expressed gratitude for China’s increased contribution to IFAD’s Thirteenth Replenishment of its resources, amounting to US$87 million, and the additional US$10 million contribution to the SSTC facility.
During his visit, Lario met with key figures in Chinese finance and development, including Minister of Finance Lan Fo’an, President of the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank Jin Liqun, Chairman of the China International Development Cooperation Agency Luo Zhaohui, and Executive Director and Executive Vice President of the Bank of China Lin Jingzhen. These meetings focused on strengthening existing partnerships and exploring new joint investment opportunities in rural development projects.