As the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations marked its 80th anniversary on October 16, President Xi Jinping sent a message that was both a tribute and a challenge urging the world to renew its commitment to ending hunger and building a sustainable future for all.

In his congratulatory letter, Xi praised the FAO for its eight decades of work in promoting food security, advancing rural development, and improving livelihoods across continents. He noted that the organization had “played an important role in ensuring global food security, promoting rural development and the transformation of food systems.”

The message arrived at a time when the world faces fresh food crises. Conflict, climate change, and economic instability are threatening harvests and disrupting supply chains, while millions still go to bed hungry each night. Against this backdrop, Xi’s letter placed food security at the heart of global peace and stability.

Xi emphasized that China had long made food self-sufficiency a national priority, feeding over 1.4 billion people largely from its own resources. “The Chinese government attaches great importance to food security,” he wrote, reaffirming that China will continue to support the FAO and “provide assistance to countries in need within its capacity,” contributing what he called “China’s strength to safeguarding global food security.”

The statement reflects Beijing’s growing role as a partner in agricultural cooperation and sustainable development. Through initiatives such as the Global DevelopmentInitiative (GDI) and the South–South Cooperation Programme, China has shared farming technology, built agricultural training centers, and sent experts to help improve yields and reduce hunger in developing nations.

Xi’s message also looked forward, linking food security to the United Nations 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. He called for renewed efforts to promote “a community with a shared future for humanity,” urging countries to work together rather than compete in ensuring the world’s food supply.

Founded on October 16, 1945, the FAO emerged in the aftermath of World War II, when global hunger was a looming threat. China was one of the organization’s founding members, and over the years its cooperation with the FAO has expanded from technical exchanges to large-scale rural development projects.

The FAO’s work today includes helping countries modernize agriculture, tackle climate-related food risks, and ensure fairer access to nutritious food. As the agency turns 80, Xi’s message reinforces how food remains more than a national issue it is a shared global responsibility.

“Food security is the foundation of national security,” Xi has often said, a phrase that echoes the theme of his latest message.

Eighty years on, the FAO’s mission continues: to ensure that every person, everywhere, has enough to eat. And as Xi’s letter suggests, that mission depends not only on technology or aid, but on the collective will of nations to sow seeds of cooperation and harvest a future free of hunger.