Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Qin Gang said in Beijing Thursday that China will gradually make donations in cash to the World Food Program (WFP) based on its capability.

"China is still a developing country. We are not rich. We still have 29 million people living in poverty," Qin said.

However, Qin said since there are still 850 million people in the world who are threatened with starvation, China is ready to make donations to the WFP based on its capability.

"China is ready to join hands with the WFP to make contributions to reducing world poverty," he said.

The food aid organization of the United Nations became operational in 1963. It provides relief assistance to victims of natural and man-made disasters, and supplies food aid to people in developing countries with the aim of stimulating self-reliant communities.

WFP started to offer free food aid to China since 1979. The organization's Executive Director James T. Morris said in December last year when visiting China that China has made great achievements in securing its food supply and the WFP planned to stop free food aid to China by the end of 2005.