Since the 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China, the CPC Central Committee has attached importance to national food security and established a national food security strategy of "relying primarily on ourselves, basing ourselves on the domestic market, ensuring production capacity, moderately importing, and technological support." General Secretary Xi Jinping emphasized that "we must play the agricultural product trade card well, but the key is to control risks, ensure substitutability, and have backup, implementing a strategy of diversifying agricultural product imports." The Outline of the 15th Five-Year Plan proposes to "promote the diversification of agricultural product imports." These important discourses arrangements provide directional guidance for deepening international economic and trade cooperation in the agricultural sector and advancing the construction of a strong agricultural country in the coming period. So, how should we understand important significance of promoting the diversification of agricultural product imports? How can we better promote the diversification of agricultural product imports and coordinate trade and production?
Promoting the diversification of agricultural product is a strategic consideration for ensuring the stable and secure supply of grain and important agricultural products. China has a large population and limited land, and resource constraints are tightening. There has been long-term supply gap in important agricultural products such as soybeans, corn, and cotton, making moderate imports an inevitable choice to ensure supply security. Currently, with intensifying global geopolitical, the rise of trade protectionism, and frequent extreme weather events, the pressure and risks of ensuring the import supply of short-supply agricultural products are increasing. Promoting the diversification of product imports through a diversified layout of sources, varieties, and channels helps enhance the stability and risk-resilience of the import supply chain, ensuring that under the complex international economic and situation, the import channels for grain and important agricultural products remain smooth, prices remain stable, and supply remains sufficient.
Promoting the diversification of agricultural product imports is an important to adapt to the trend of upgrading resident consumption and enhance people's well-being. The living standards of Chinese residents continue to improve, shifting from "eating enough" to " well" and "eating nutritiously and healthily." The food consumption structure of urban and rural residents is constantly upgrading, and the domestic production of high-quality and specialty agricultural products fully match the consumption needs of the people. Broadening the sources of agricultural product imports, enriching the imported varieties, and continuously introducing high-quality and specialty agricultural products from around the will help effectively fill the domestic supply gap, better meet the people's needs for a better life, and allow the fruits of open development to benefit more of the people.

oting the diversification of agricultural product imports demonstrates China's responsibility in global agricultural cooperation. China is the world's second-largest importer of agricultural products. In 205, its agricultural product import value reached 207.4 billion US dollars, accounting for about 9% of the global agricultural product import share, providing a vast market many countries worldwide. Starting from May 1, 2026, China will grant zero-tariff treatment to 100% of tariff lines, including agricultural products to 53 African countries with which it has diplomatic relations. Advantageous agricultural products from African countries, such as cocoa, coffee, and avocados, can all enjoy zero tariffs provided meet relevant rules of origin and inspection and quarantine requirements. This benefits a large number of small and medium-sized farmers and helps African countries optimize their agricultural product export structure. China shares and develops together with African countries, demonstrating the good image of a responsible major country.

In recent years, with the implementation of the strategy to diversify agricultural imports, China's agricultural import pattern has continued optimize. The number of importing countries and regions has expanded from 169 in 2001 to 194 in 2025; the proportion agricultural imports from the top ten countries and regions has decreased from 74.8% in 2001 to 69.1% in 202. However, it must be noted that the import of important agricultural products such as soybeans, corn, cotton, and edible oils still relies heavily on a few markets, and there is long way to go in promoting the diversification of agricultural imports.
Next, China should better leverage its potential and role as the world's largest market, optimize the structure of import sources varieties, and build a more resilient global agricultural supply system. At the same time, it should resolutely implement the overall national security concept, scientifically grasp the scale and pace of imports, a positive interaction between the diversification of agricultural imports and industrial security, and make the "Chinese rice bowl" firmer and more stable.
Expand import sources. Deepen high- economic and trade cooperation under the "Belt and Road" initiative, make full use of multilateral and bilateral economic and trade cooperation mechanisms, consolidate and expand the scale of agricultural imports from neighboring such as ASEAN, moderately expand the import of characteristic and high-quality agricultural products from regions such as Latin America, Africa, and the Middle East, and build a more balanced and import pattern. Expand the network of high-standard free trade zones facing the world, promote the signing of free trade agreements with countries and regions that have complementary agricultural resource endowments and great for cooperation, establish closer agricultural economic and trade relations, and stabilize the import supply chain of important agricultural products. Continue to promote the upgrading of the China-ASEAN Free Trade, the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP), and other agreements, improve the level of trade and investment liberalization and facilitation, and promote the deep integration of the regional agricultural entire industry towards a more stable, closer, and more efficient direction.
Optimize product structure. To adapt to the needs of consumption upgrading and supply quality improvement, moderately increase the import of highquality and characteristic agricultural products, enrich the choices on residents' dining tables, and meet the multi-level, personalized, and high-quality consumption needs of consumers. Support the import of agricultural production materials such as high-quality seeds, agricultural inputs, and agricultural machinery that are conducive to enhancing agricultural competitiveness, and consolidate the foundation for high-quality agricultural development from the side. On the premise of ensuring safety, sign agricultural product inspection and quarantine access protocols with relevant countries, steadily promote the inspection and quarantine access of important agricultural products such as fruits,, beef, and mutton, expand the range of source countries, and expand the categories of imports.
Smooth import channels. Fully leverage the role of international exhibition platforms such as the China International Import Expo and the China Import and Export Fair to the international supply and procurement matching of agricultural products, and promote the "easy import" and "good sales" of high-quality global agricultural products. Promote the integrated development of trade and investment, support qualified enterprises to carry out agricultural investment in Belt and Road partner countries by relying on platforms such as overseas economic and trade cooperation zones and agricultural cooperation parks, and stable cross-border industrial and supply chains. Innovate import trade methods, promote the innovative development of new business formats and models such as cross-border e-commerce, drive the expansion of border trade, and steadily expand the import of characteristic agricultural products from neighboring countries and emerging markets.
Build a strong security barrier. Strengthen the monitoring of international supply,, and price trends of key agricultural products such as grain, sugar, and cotton, focus on identifying key risk variables such as extreme weather, geopolitical conflicts, and trade policies, and early identification and graded response to the import risks of key agricultural products. Improve the trade remedy system, and for industries severely affected by import shocks, initiate anti-dumping and antisubsidy trade remedy measures in accordance with the law at an appropriate time, explore the establishment of a trade adjustment assistance system for important and sensitive industries, and reasonably safeguard industrial security and' interests. Promote the effective connection between trade regulation and industrial security, scientifically regulate the import scale and proportion of key agricultural products, and ensure the smooth operation of the production and of important agricultural products.