China and ASEAN Discuss Smart Agriculture Cooperation

From 30 October to 1 November, the ASEAN-China Centre (ACC) and the People’s Government of Henan Province co-hosted the 2026 ASEAN-China (Henan) Cooperation and Development Conference on Food and Agriculture and the 5th “Belt and Road” (Henan) International Agricultural Cooperation Expo in Zhengzhou, Henan Province,China. 

YB Senator Dato Sri Awang Bemee, President of the Senate of Malaysia, Senator Datuk Nur Jazlan, Deputy President of the Senate of Malaysia, Secretary-General Kao Kim Hourn of ASEAN (video speech), Permanent Secretary Datin Hajah Hasnah of Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry of Brunei, Under Secretary of State Hong Narit of the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries of Cambodia and Under Secretary of State SVAY Nakry of Ministry of Commerce of Cambodia, Deputy Minister Ye Tun Win of the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Irrigation of Myanmar,  Undersecretary Zamzamin L. Ampatuan of Department of Agriculture of the Philippines, Ambassador Soeung Rathchavy of Cambodia to China, Ambassador Zaw Win Myint of Myanmar to China and diplomats from the embassies of ASEAN Member States (AMS), Zhou Zuyi, Secretary of the CPC Henan Provincial Committee, Wang Lujin, Deputy Secretary of the CPC Henan Provincial Committee and Acting Governor, as well as government officials, representatives from academic, business associations, and enterprises of both China and AMS, with a total of over 500 participants were invited to the conference. Zhang Lizhong, Secretary General of the ACC attended and addressed the opening ceremony. 

Under the theme of “Digital Intelligence Connects ASEAN, Green Chain Ensures Food Security”, a series of sideline events were held focusing on smart agriculture, food security, livestock and poultry industries, and brand agriculture, etc. Multiple practical outcomes were achieved in implementing the consensus of Chinese and ASEAN leaders, promoting the joint development of green agriculture through AI innovation technologies, and safeguarding regional food security through cooperation to address common challenges.

Zhang Lizhong pointed out that, 2026 marks the 5th anniversary of the ASEAN-China Comprehensive Strategic Partnership (CSP). Two-way agricultural trade and investment have achieved steady progress. The full implementation of RCEP and the signing of the ASEAN-China FTA 3.0 Upgrade Protocol have opened up new opportunities for future cooperation.  As the world enters a new period of turbulence and transformation, unilateralism, protectionism, climate change, and geopolitical conflicts are posing mounting challenges to food supply, energy safety and supply chains resilience. Facing with these challenges, ASEAN and China should join hands and remain closely united. The ACC will continue to play its role as the bridge between China and ASEAN in deepening collaboration and strengthening regional development resilience by boosting agricultural productivity through innovation, promoting climate-smart and green agriculture, building resilient and efficient agri-food supply chains, and promoting sustainable agricultural development.

Zhou Zuyin stated that, Henan has been leveraging its strengths in population, economy and agriculture to deepen exchanges and cooperation with AMS. Taking this Conference as an opportunity, Henan will work with all ASEAN countries to boost agricultural research and innovation and consolidate the foundation of food security. Relying on the ASEAN-China (Zhengzhou) Economy Development Centre (ACEDC), the two sides will jointly build green agricultural and food industrial chains, expand trade in agricultural products and agricultural services, deepen people-to-people exchanges, and elevate pragmatic agricultural cooperation between both sides to new heights.

YB Senator Dato Sri Awang Bemee said that food security is a significant issue of human security and dignity. As China and AMS’s strengths are highly complementary, an ASEAN–China–GCC food and agricultural corridor should be a vision for broader regional cooperation opportunity to jointly build an efficient and inclusive agricultural value chain, deepen agricultural sci-tech cooperation in smart irrigation, meteorological early warning and digital traceability of agricultural products, help farmers stabilise output and reduce losses, better connect production with markets, and ensure the dividends of agricultural cooperation reach all people. 

Ye Tun Win stressed that food security is the fundamental foundation of national stability, regional prosperity, and human dignity. Digital transformation is an imperative for modern agriculture development. Myanmar attaches great importance to agricultural technical exchanges with China and hopes to leverage joint research initiatives, demonstration projects and capacity-building workshops to introduce locally adapted agricultural technologies, upskill farmers and grassroots agricultural technicians, advance the digital transformation of regional agriculture steadily together with ASEAN member states, and jointly consolidate the regional food security defence.

Kao Kim Hourn pointed out that digitalization holds the key to building resilient food systems against a wide range of risks. In food and agriculture, it is the aspiration of ASEAN to foster systems that are productive and competitive, sustainable, climate-resilient and inclusive. ASEAN should deepen cooperation with China in the areas of artificial intelligence, digital platforms, remote sensing and precision agriculture, find solutions that are practical, scalable and suited to climate and diverse agri-ecological conditions of ASEAN and build greener, smarter, more resilient regional food and agricultural systems.

Representatives of the Council of the All China Federation of Supply and Marketing Cooperatives and the China Meteorological Administration shared experience and practices in their respective areas on jointly underpinning regional food security, expanding market for agricultural product circulation, developing green industrial chains and digital supply chains, and supporting China-ASEAN food and agricultural cooperation.

Participants agreed that the ASEAN-China (Henan) Cooperation and Development Conference on Food and Agriculture has grown into an important platform for all sectors of China and ASEAN to renew friendship and discuss pragmatic agricultural cooperation. The two sides have delivered fruitful agricultural cooperation outcomes, injecting new impetus into safeguarding food security and advancing sustainable agricultural development. They expressed readiness to combine China’s strengths in modern agricultural technologies with ASEAN’s abundant agricultural resources and biodiversity to deliver more cooperation projects that benefit local communities. Guests from both sides held in-depth discussions and put forward proposals on topics including food security, technology-enabled agriculture and the upgrading of agricultural product trade, reaching a number of consensus on practical cooperation to boost the quality and upgrading of regional agriculture and consolidate the foundation of food security. 

Guests visited the 5th Belt and Road (Henan) International Agricultural Cooperation Expo before the opening ceremony. They were also invited to participate in various sideline events including ASEAN-China (Henan) Seminar on Food Security and Coordinated Development of Modern Agriculture, ASEAN Focus:Modern Agriculture Business Cooperation Dialogue and Matchmaking, “AI+Agriculture” Innovation Forum, Symposium on Empowering High-Quality Development through the Culture of Twenty-Four Solar Terms, ASEAN-China Livestock and Poultry Industry Cooperation & Trade Promotion Event, National Brand-Agriculture Innovation Launch Ceremony, Brand Agriculture Cross-border E-commerce Matching Meeting.

Guests also visited the Premium Products Expo and Agri-food Cooperation Achievement Exhibition at the ASEAN-China (Henan) Economy Development Centre, learned about intelligent greenhouse technology at the Zhengzhou Agricultural Science and Technology Research Institute and experienced the rich history of agricultural civilization of the Central Plains at the Henan Museum.