China on Friday called on the international community to work together on a strategy for sustainable food development to tackle the global food crisis.

"Food is vital to human survival, concerning not only on the economy and people's well-being of each country, but also bearing on the development and security of the whole world," China's UN Ambassador Wang Guangya told a plenary session of the UN General Assembly.

Wang said that the current soaring food prices are caused by "the interplay of multifaceted factors."

He refuted a recent argument stressing the so-called "responsibility of big developing countries," which blames the development of big developing countries for the worldwide food prices rise.

"This does not tally with the fact, nor is it a constructive attitude to solve the problem," he said.

With advances in economic globalization and science and technology, the world does not lack the means to solve the food problem, he said.

"The key is to embrace the spirit of common development, actively and effectively coordinate policies and actions and make concerted efforts to safeguard world food security," he said.

"To do this, countries need to approach the food issue from a broader and longer-term perspective and jointly formulate a strategy for sustainable food development," Wang stressed.

He called on states to build on consensus and resolve the food crisis under the framework of sustainable development; address both the symptoms and root causes and take an integrated approach to the food issue; strengthen dialogue and coordination, and explore a new framework for international cooperation.

(Xinhua News Agency July 19, 2008)