EditorialElection of Qu Dongyu puts China at forefront of global food security

China’s push to expand its leadership role in global organisations is gathering momentum. The 190-odd member countries of the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organisation have elected Vice-Minister of Agriculture and Rural Affairs Qu Dongyu as director general for four years with an absolute majority in the first round of voting.

The decisive result reflects China’s growing clout at the forefront of multilateralism, and further raises its profile in the developing world through the FAO’s influential role in combating hunger and improving nutrition with agricultural development projects, research and standards setting in food production and safety.

Qu follows in the footsteps of recently retired World Health Organisation chief and former Hong Kong director of health Margaret Chan Fung Fu-chun, and former Interpol chief Meng Hongwei, whose term came to a premature end with his detention on bribery charges on the mainland.

Since then, Beijing has nominated former Hong Kong police chief Andy Tsang Wai-hung to contest leadership of the UN Office on Drugs and Crime.

Qu’s election resonates with the strategic importance of food security in the world’s biggest producer, consumer and exporter of food. President Xi Jinping told the 19th Communist Party congress: “We must ensure food security so we always have control over food supply.”

But Qu, a 30-year veteran of agriculture, must put his wide experience – from developing digital technologies to introducing micro credit in rural areas – to work for the UN, and not just for China.