Chinese President Jiang Zemin met in Beijing Wednesday with well-known international agricultural scientists who are attending the International Conference on Agricultural Science and Technology.

Jiang sent congratulations to the conference, initiated and being hosted by China.

In the new century, Jiang said, the economic and social development in the world has entered a new phase. Meanwhile, China's agricultural development is faced with new opportunities as well as new challenges, Jiang said.

Agricultural science and technology could greatly stimulate further advancement in agriculture, he said.

High technologies in the fields, featuring modern biological and gene technologies, will also cause a new revolution in agricultural development, Jiang said.

Some 800 million people in the world have insufficient food to eat. China has already resolved this issue for its huge population. Therefore, China is willing to share its experience in dealing with such kind of issues with other countries, Jiang said.

He said he hopes agricultural scientists in various countries will join hands to help people in poverty-ridden areas in the world.

Nobel Prize laureate Norman Borlaug briefed Jiang on the ongoing international conference. He also spoke on some new trends in agricultural science and technology in the world.

He said he highly values China's efforts to cooperate with other countries in researching and promoting new agricultural products in the world.

Borlaug suggested that more investment be made into agricultural research and development in China, in order to rapidly improve efficiency in agriculture.

Science and technology and agriculture ministers from several countries and many Chinese agricultural scientists, including Yuan Longping, who earned global fame for cultivating hybrid rice, are participating in the meeting.

2001 International Agriculture Fair Opens
The largest agricultural exhibition in China, the 2001 International Agricultural Fair opened Wednesday in Beijing, just as the country is about to enter the World Trade Organization (WTO).

The six-day exhibition displays the achievements of China's agriculture industry and the latest agro-technology, said liu Chengguo, vice-minister of Agriculture at the fair's opening ceremony.

China's WTO accession will bring both opportunities and challenges to its agriculture, Liu said. The fair provides a chance to promote cooperation between the agricultural sectors at home and abroad, he said.

According to the deputy secretary general of the fair, Zhang Wenbao, 31 provinces, autonomous regions and municipalities in China are taking part in the fair. Approximately 70 Italian wine and food producers occupy a 2000-square-meter pavilion.

China began to hold a nationwide agriculture fair once every two years in 1993. The fair became an international event in 1999,with 39 overseas companies participating.