This commentary describes some of the agricultural policies adopted by China with focus on the pillars of internal support and export competition, and it briefly explains its policies in the field, which is of interest to research on China in order to have an overview of its agricultural measures, which have contributed to food security in the last thirty years. Such measures along with numerous poverty reduction programmes have made it possible for China to be the first nation to achieve the Millennium Development Goals of poverty reduction. However, it suggests that to maintain sustained food security, some of the programmes implemented recently will not contribute to long-term food security nor are they compatible with China’s WTO commitments under the Agreement on Agriculture (AoA). Even if such measures stay within the limits of the AoA, revision is necessary to meet national food security goals. Moreover, those policies have implications on the multilateral system and for other WTO members. China’s WTO accession has brought more food security overall, both to China and to the rest of the world. However, policies should be directed towards continuous work and reform to meet WTO and the multilateral trading system’s goals for greater food security.
Global Trade and Customs Journal