On September 16, 2002 (August 10, 2002 in the lunar calendar), the first International Rice Conference was held in Beijing. The first International Rice Conference was grandly held at the China International Science and Technology Convention and Exhibition Center in Beijing. Chinese President Jiang Zemin attended the opening ceremony and made an important speech. On September 16, 2002, the first International Rice Conference was grandly held at the China International Science and Technology Convention and Exhibition Center in Beijing. Chinese President Jiang Zemin attended the opening ceremony and made an important speech. Jiang Zemin said that rice is the most edible and oldest crop in the world. It is of great significance for scientists, entrepreneurs, government officials and representatives of international institutions from various countries to come together to discuss rice research and development, promotion, production, trade, management and international cooperation. He said that the world's agriculture is facing new challenges, and the problem of food security on a global scale still exists. With the growth of the population, the world's food demand will continue to increase significantly, while the basic elements of food production such as arable land and fresh water are decreasing. In quite a few countries and regions, the food problem has not been fundamentally solved, and the global undernourished population is still 790 million. These problems and challenges require governments and people of insight from all walks of life to strengthen cooperation and discuss solutions. He pointed out that since the late 20th century, a new agricultural science and technology revolution has been booming around the world. The international community should cherish the development opportunities brought about by scientific and technological progress. Developing countries should seize the opportunity and actively participate in efforts to promote their own economic and social development. Developed countries should deeply understand the impact of the widening gap between the rich and the poor on global stability and sustainable development, and provide more assistance to developing countries in terms of technology, capital, talents and information. President Jiang Zemin also introduced China's achievements in rice research since the founding of the People's Republic of China and China's contribution to world food production and security. He said that China's agriculture has made world-renowned achievements, but China is still a large agricultural country with a large population. More people, less land, less water, and insufficient per capita resources are basic national conditions. How to more effectively improve the quality and efficiency of agricultural production, promote industrial restructuring, and realize agricultural modernization remain major issues that we must continue to address with great effort. He pointed out that the decades of fruitful exchanges and cooperation between China and the international rice science and technology community have proved that scientific and technological exchanges and cooperation between countries with different cultural traditions, economic models and development levels are beneficial to the development of all parties involved and the world. We advocate active international cooperation in accordance with the principles of equality and mutual benefit, sharing of results and respecting intellectual property rights, and encourage Chinese scientific and technological personnel to strengthen cooperative research with scientists from all over the world, so as to contribute to the common development and general prosperity of all countries. Xu Kuangdi, President of the Chinese Academy of Engineering, presided over the opening ceremony. Song Jian, Vice Chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, attended and delivered a speech. The opening ceremony was also attended by 1,200 Chinese and foreign scientists and representatives including Ms. Kamba, Chairman of the The five-day conference was co-hosted by the Chinese Academy of Engineering, the National Development Planning Commission, the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences and the International Rice Research Institute. The theme of the conference was "Innovation, Impact, Prosperity". The purpose of the conference was to promote greater attention to rice production in Asia and the international community, improve the living standards of hundreds of millions of poor people, promote the second green revolution of rice and protect the ecological environment, and provide a platform and opportunity for scientists from various countries to carry out scientific and technological exchanges and cooperation on rice.