China Country Strategic Plan (2017-2022)

Country Strategic Plan approved at EB.1/2017

Revision 02 approved by the CD in March 2020

Revision 03 approved by the CD in November 2021

Over the past 35 years, China has experienced a significant economic transformation and made remarkable progress in poverty reduction and social development. The country has the largest population in the world at more than 1.3 billion people, meaning that its achievement of the 2015 Millennium Development Goal target of halving the proportion of its people suffering from hunger accounted for almost two thirds of such reductions globally. 

Despite substantial progress in reducing hunger and malnutrition, the Government continues its efforts towards its goal of ensuring food security and nutrition across China recognizing that almost 150.8 million people remain undernourished and – given the magnitude of the population – its 9.4 percent stunting, 19.6 percent anaemia and 25 percent overweight rates represent serious national and global burdens. While China’s economic growth has helped it attain high human development status, challenges remain in reducing residual poverty and inequality and extending successful national programmes to marginalized communities. 

This country strategic plan is the product of extensive consultations with the Government of China and other partners, and reflects the WFP-China Memorandum of Understanding to Strengthen Partnership for Global Hunger Solutions and Development signed on 2 March 2016. Under the framework provided by the Memorandum of Understanding and in compliance with laws, rules and regulations of China and WFP, the WFP China Office functions as a WFP centre of excellence for enhancing South–South cooperation and supports China’s domestic efforts to promote food security and nutrition and forge public-private partnerships in support of food security and nutrition targets. WFP’s cooperation with China will contribute to the following five strategic outcomes:

• Malnutrition rates among children in targeted “poverty counties” reduced in line with national norms by 2020.
• Year-round livelihoods of smallholder farmers in frequent need of food assistance in areas such as Anhui, Gansu, Guangxi, Hainan and Hunan provinces enhanced.
• Populations regularly affected by natural disasters in Anhui, Gansu and Guangxi provinces and other poor disaster-prone areas better able to withstand and respond to shocks all year round. 
• Assistance provided to enhance food security and nutrition in select developing countries in line with their prioritized targets under Sustainable Development Goal 2 by 2030 and
• Work to enhance food security and nutrition in targeted “poverty counties” and selected developing countries supported year round by increased private-sector resources and public-private partnerships

The country strategic plan will contribute to China’s 13th National Five-year Plan for Economic and Social Development (2016–2020), Food and Nutrition Development Plan (2014–2020), National Child Development Plan for Poverty-Stricken Areas (2014–2020) and sector-specific plans of action, the United Nations Development Assistance Framework (2016–2020) and Sustainable Development Goals 2 and 17. It is also aligned with President Xi Jinping’s statement and the joint press communiqué issued at the September 2015 High-Level Roundtable on South–South cooperation.