Jiang made the remarks in a meeting with Kim Hak-Su, UN under-secretary and executive secretary of ESCAP, who is here for Tuesday's opening ceremony of the headquarters of the UN Asian and Pacific Center for Agricultural Engineering and Machinery (APCAEM)and its governing board meeting.

Jiang said the move of the APCAEM from Bangkok, Thailand to Beijing marks a step forward for cooperation between China, ESCAP and the United Nations.

He stated China welcomes the APCAEM to undertake, in a positive way, operations in relevant fields in China, including its primary research areas of agriculture, forestry, husbandry, cash crop production, fishery, as well as genetic engineering and agricultural information projects.

China is a large agricultural country, said Jiang, adding that properly solving issues pertaining to agriculture, the rural areas and the farmers is a key step for China to build a well-off society in an all-round way and to accomplish its modernization drive.

He noted that to achieve social progress depends on the advancement, popularization and application of science and technology.

China supports the United Nations to play a more important role in the new century in maintaining world peace and security, and in promoting the common development and prosperity of all countries, Jiang said.

Kim expressed his admiration for China's significant achievements during the past years, and believed that with its fast economic growth China will play an increasingly important role in international affairs.

He also thanked the Chinese government for its support of the APCAEM headquarters in Beijing, saying he expected to collaborate with China in the hosting of ESCAP's annual session in Shanghai in2004.

Kim is here as a guest of the Chinese Academy of Engineering.

(Xinhua News Agency November 27, 2002)