Beijing (VNA) – Vietnamese Minister of Agriculture and Environment Trinh Viet Hung proposed four key directions for cooperation at the 11th APEC Food Security Ministerial Meeting, which took place in Hangzhou, China, on August 25.
The meeting, bringing together agricultural leaders from the 21 APEC (Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation) member economies was regarded as one of the most strategically significant events in the APEC 2026 agenda, as the region accounts for nearly half of global food production and trade.
The Vietnamese minister’s proposals include building more resilient and closely interconnected agri-food value chains; promoting robust innovation and digital transformation to bring advanced technologies, including artificial intelligence (AI), big data, biotechnology and precision agriculture, closer to farmers; mobilising innovation investment and financial resources to scale up pilot models into large-scale solutions; and strengthening knowledge sharing, capacity building and closer cooperation among APEC forums.
Hung also underscored the decisive role of science and technology and digital transformation in improving the quality and resilience of agriculture. He called on member economies to pursue three breakthrough transitions: from digital agriculture to digital agri-food systems; from individual technology trials to scalable solutions; and from isolated innovation efforts to the development of an APEC innovation partnership network.
Vietnam’s proposals received broad support and consensus from participating economies. Several members expressed their desire to work with Vietnam to further build consensus, with a view to ensuring that the APEC Food Security Ministerial Meeting in Vietnam in 2027 will produce a shared vision and a substantive action programme.
At the conclusion of the meeting, ministers agreed to issue the Hangzhou Joint Statement, reaffirming their determination to build an open, dynamic, resilient and peaceful Asia-Pacific community.
The statement affirmed that food security remains a shared priority, while urging economies to strengthen cooperation based on science, technology and innovation; manage natural resources effectively; facilitate agricultural trade; and increase investment in agriculture.
As part of the meeting, Nguyen Do Anh Tuan, Director of the Department of International Cooperation under the Vietnamese Ministry of Agriculture and Environment, officially introduced the Proposed Orientation for APEC Cooperation on Agriculture and Food Security in 2027, themed “Innovative and Resilient Agri-Food Systems for Shared Prosperity,” marking an important preparatory step for Vietnam’s hosting of APEC 2027./.
