Xinhua Commentary: China's summer grain harvest offers relief for inflation-plagued world

This photo taken on July 15, 2023 shows ripe wheat in Hutubi County, northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region. (Xinhua/Ding Lei)

TAIYUAN, July 17 (Xinhua) -- China has achieved summer grain harvest for the 20th consecutive year despite the impact of adverse weather.

This is fantastic news for an inflation-plagued world. As the old saying goes, bread is the staff of life. China's summer grain output, which totalled 146.13 million tonnes this year, has laid a solid foundation for global food security.

This achievement is particularly significant considering food is upstream in the global commodity chain, and rising food prices may spill over to other commodities, further aggravating global inflation.

While global food production systems remain vulnerable, China, with less than 9 percent of the world's arable land to produce about a quarter of world's grain and feed about a fifth of world's population, has contributed greatly to food security, and thus global stability and development at large.

As the world's largest grain production and consumption country, China with its summer grain harvest has provided certainty in an increasingly uncertain world.

China's grain output had remained above 650 million tonnes for eight consecutive years as of 2022, which to some extent helped suppress the rise of international grain prices.

While many countries are suffering from severe inflation, China has seen mild inflation so far this year, with the average consumer price index from January to June increasing by just 0.7 percent. It has boosted the country's confidence in responding to various risks and challenges.

China's bumper harvest can be attributed to the authorities' efforts to maintain food security. Chinese leaders have repeatedly stressed that ensuring food security is always a top priority for national development and people's well-being.

Following the summer harvest, summer planting and management work are also steadily proceeding across China. Food in hand, peace in mind. The country is striving confidently toward food harvest all year round, which is bound to be of great significance to global food security and economic recovery.