Smirnova Veronika

Trends in China – Southeast Asia Multilateral Cooperation in the Food and Agriculture Sector

ЮГО-ВОСТОЧНАЯ АЗИЯ: АКТУАЛЬНЫЕ ПРОБЛЕМЫ РАЗВИТИЯ, 2024, №4(65), 76-88

 
Annotation: The article is devoted to identifying trends in China-Southeast Asia multilateral cooperation in the food and agriculture sector. The author analyses the activities of the key multilateral platforms in the region – ASEAN+1, ASEAN+3 and the Lancang-Mekong Cooperation – and compares measures to promote agricultural cooperation. The study reveals that the food and agriculture agenda has gradually been mutually priortised by the parties, which was largely influenced by external crises. At the same time, it stands out that there is a focus on two interrelated areas – strengthening food security and deepening economic cooperation in the region. The latter is most relevant for China, which seeks to rely on cooperation with the ASEAN Ten to promote its Belt and Road Initiative. The progressive increase in co-operation indicates that the food and agriculture agenda will continue to expand within the framework of multilateral formats.

Keywords: China, ASEAN, ACFTA, Emergency Rice Reserve, Lancang-Mekong, food security