Your Excellencies,Esteemed colleagues,Ladies and gentlemen,I am delighted to take part in this international forum that looks at the reform process in China and the question of poverty reduction.China’s progress in poverty eradication has been truly extraordinary. Looking at China today – as the world’s second largest economy –and its dramatic progress in all areas of human development, it is hard to imagine that as recently as 1981, 88 per cent of the population lived below the international poverty line.[1]In fact, it was China’s outstanding progress in poverty reduction between 1990 and 2005 that allowed the world to reach the second millennium development goal of halving extreme poverty.Much of this progress came from improvements in agriculture following the reforms of the 1980s.[2]This is a significant achievement, and one that confirms the importance of governments having the wisdom and vision to implement policies and direct investments in agricultural development.For IFAD, the celebration of the 40th Anniversary of China’s Reform and Opening Up seems particularly auspicious, since this year also marks 40 years since IFAD’s establishment.The decision to create IFAD was made in 1974, in response to the great droughts and famines that had struck Africa and Asia in the preceding years. At the 1974 World Food Conference, world leaders agreed that “an international fund … should be established immediately to finance agricultural development projects”.Since 1978, IFAD has provided US$20.4 billion in grants and low-interest loans to finance innovative rural and agricultural development projects. These have reached about 480 million people.IFAD’s contribution to China’s development and poverty eradication has been around US$ 1 billion concessional financing reaching around 20 million people.IFAD’s core mandate is, and has always been, investing in rural people and rural areas to end hunger and poverty. But over the years the Fund’s thinking and approach has evolved.Today, IFAD is among the multilateral institutions working in agriculture in Africa. It is also a leading advocate and practitioner of transforming remote rural economies and developing inclusive value chains.IFAD’s partnership with China dates to 1981, when China became an IFAD Member State. That same year, IFAD became one of the first international agencies to finance operations in China.Even as China works towards overcoming poverty in rural areas, it has been helping other countries around the world. I note that China’s foreign aid rose from US $631 million to almost $US 3 billion between 2003 and 2015.[3]With respect to agricultural development, China has provided substantial aid and investment, especially in Africa, including technical cooperation.We know that, in partnership, China and IFAD can be extremely effective in reducing rural poverty.Earlier this year, for example, China and IFAD set up a South-South and Triangular Cooperation （SSTC） Facility at IFAD. The Facility aims to be a resource for expertise, knowledge and resources that can promote business-to-business links and investments across developing countries.IFAD has also established SSTC and knowledge centres in China, Ethiopia and Brazil. These centres focus on leveraging SSTC as an instrument for promoting smallholder agriculture and rural development.I invite China to support traditional and new international financial institutions alike. In this way, we can strengthen partnership among multilateral development organizations for improving food security, nutrition and outcomes. This, in turn, will move us closer to achieving a key element of the Sustainable Development Goals.Ladies and gentlemen,As you know, China has set itself the ambitious goal of ending poverty by 2020–a full decade ahead of the 2030 Agenda. But this achievement will depend largely on reaching the people who live in remote rural areas, where poverty remains entrenched. IFAD welcomes the opportunity to be a strategic partner in implementing China’s rural revitalization strategy.Similarly, we also see China as a strategic global partner for IFAD in achieving our mandate to end rural poverty and hunger around the globe.We look forward to celebrating with you today, and to working with you tomorrow, and in the years ahead.Thank you.