The creation of a “green corridor” for the export of grain from Russia and Ukraine would be relevant in the current difficult food situation in the world. This was stated on May 25 by Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi during negotiations via videoconference with his German counterpart Annalena Berbock.
“We are already facing a food crisis”
“In the current situation, the international community should promote an early ceasefire, promote the creation of a “green corridor” for grain exports from Russia and Ukraine,” Wang Yi said.
According to him, Beijing will contribute to the solution of this issue and will not remain aloof from “problems that cause increased attention from the world community.”
The head of the Chinese Foreign Ministry stressed that China has demonstrated its responsibility by providing food assistance to countries in need.
Earlier that day, it was reported that the Chinese edition of Xinhua identified the situation on Ukrainian territory, as well as anti-Russian sanctions from the West, as the causes of the largest food crisis in Europe. In particular, it was clarified that the fighting on Ukrainian territory led to a shortage of agricultural fuel.
Maximo Torreiro, chief economist at the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, said that if the problem of fertilizers and trade in them is not resolved now, next year the world will face a very serious problem of food supply.
At the same time, on May 23, Malian Foreign Minister Abdoulaye Diop said that Western sanctions against Russia had paralyzed the global economy. The consequences of anti-Russian restrictions have already harmed poor countries and will continue to worsen the situation in the world.
The day before, experts from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) published a report “Why we must confront geo-economic fragmentation and how”, which states that the current state of the economy is the worst since the Second World War. Several options have also been proposed to remedy the situation. The situation in Ukraine was cited as one of the reasons for the ongoing rise in prices.
As Senator Alexei Pushkov said on May 21, the world crisis might not have happened at all if the West had provided Russia with security guarantees and had not tried to strangle its economy with the help of restrictions.