China's Qu To Head UN Food Programme

Qu Dongyu on Sunday became the first Chinese national to be elected to head the UN's Food and Agriculture Organization, clinching the post in the first round of voting.

Qu, 55, a biologist by training, won 108 votes, followed by Catherine Geslain-Laneelle of France with 71 votes and Georgia's Davit Kirvalidze with 12, according to official results.

His election to the helm of the Rome-based agency, which brings together 194 member countries, comes as the fight to eradicate world hunger takes a blow from global warming and wars.

The successor to Brazil's Jose Graziano da Silva will have to put policies in place now in preparation for feeding a world population expected to increase from 7.7 billion people to 9.7 billion in 2050.

Many analysts had seen Qu as the frontrunner to win the four-year post.

"Beijing has made a big push to get more senior jobs at the UN in the last few years," said Richard Gowan, an analyst at the Brussels-based International Crisis Group. It has also put forward former Hong Kong police chief Andy Tsang to head an international anti-drug trafficking body.

The country is grappling with a swine fever epidemic that is decimating its livestock, as well as a trade war with the United States that is forcing it to go elsewhere for cereals and soya.

The crises have pushed the food sector to the top of the government's priorities, Beijing said in its bid letter. Qu, a biologist by training, has 30 years experience, from developing digital technologies in agriculture, to introducing micro-credit in rural areas. (AFP)