China has solved issues related to people's right to food, which is an important contribution to the world's efforts to manage food problems, a senior Chinese diplomat said in Geneva on Thursday.

The right to food is the most fundamental human right, and only through this right could other freedoms and rights be met, said Li Baodong, Chinese ambassador to the UN Office in Geneva.

Li was addressing a special session of the UN Human Rights Council, which focused on the negative impacts of the worsening world food crisis.

Soaring food prices are seriously impeding the efforts of developing countries to meet the Millennium Development Goals, and the crisis has already created several conflicts in Africa and the Caribbean, Li said.

He urged the Human Rights Council and the Office of the UN High Commissioner on Human Rights to pay the highest attention to the current crisis.

The High Commissioner's Office "should closely collaborate with relevant specialized agencies and Special Procedures in order to address the situation and find solutions," he said.

He also called for the prevention of food speculation activities and pledged China's willingness to support all parties dealing with the crisis.

(Xinhua News Agency May 23, 2008)