BEIJING, Aug. 14 (Xinhua) -- "Protect the ecological environment, and it will reward you." This statement by Chinese President Xi Jinping is vividly exemplified by the people of Anji County in east China's Zhejiang Province, where a shift in perception has successfully driven a green transition.
Locals recall a time in the 1980s and 1990s when paper mills stained creeks reddish-brown, mining left the mountains barren, and wind-blown rubbish littered the landscape.
With a population of around 480,000, Anji has transformed from a region plagued by environmental degradation to a refreshing eco-tourism destination known for its fresh air, clear waters and green mountains.
These sweeping changes in the local geographic and economic landscape were made possible after Xi, then Party chief of Zhejiang Province, made an inspection tour to the county's Yucun Village on Aug. 15, 2005.
On that day, he conducted a field survey, visited the homes of local farmers, and held discussions with local officials over economic growth and environmental protection. As a matter of fact, the village decided to close quarries and cement plants and develop tourism to heal the environment in 2003, but the decision led to a decline in household income in the initial years.
During his inspection tour, Xi said that ecological resources were the area's most valuable assets, noting that the shutdown of these sites was "a wise move."
"Don't expect to promote economic growth at the cost of the environment because such economic growth doesn't equal development," said Xi, as he put forward for the first time the concept of "lucid waters and lush mountains are invaluable assets."
This concept reinforced Anji's commitment to an environment-friendly path to growth and, over the years, has become a cornerstone of Xi's thought on ecological civilization.
In just two decades, Anji has undergone a significant green transformation, leading to a thriving economy driven by rural tourism and bamboo processing and white tea industries. According to 2023 statistics, the per capita disposable income of its rural population had increased by five times since 2005.
To raise public awareness and encourage action to protect the ecological environment, China's national legislature designated Aug. 15 as National Ecology Day last year.
In the run-up to the second National Ecology Day which falls on Thursday, the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and the State Council publicized a set of guidelines to ramp up green transition in all aspects of economic and social development.
The guidelines set quantitative targets for 2030, including developing an energy conservation and environmental protection industry valued at 15 trillion yuan (about 2.1 trillion U.S. dollars) and increasing the proportion of non-fossil energy consumption to about 25 percent of total energy use.
A comprehensive green transition in economic and social development was highlighted in a resolution adopted at the third plenum of the 20th CPC Central Committee last month.
The resolution listed priorities for further reforming the system of ecological conservation, such as improving mechanisms for green and low-carbon development, specifying the requirements of implementing region-specific environmental management systems, improving the trans-regional compensation mechanism for ecological conservation, and implementing fiscal, tax, financial, investment, and pricing policies as well as standards to support green and low-carbon development.
Green and low-carbon development has been high on the agenda of Xi's local inspection tours. In May, while visiting Shandong Province, Xi inspected the city of Rizhao, where a 28-km-long "sunshine corridor" adorned with greenery and white beaches stretches along the coastline, providing locals with opportunities for sightseeing, cycling and recreation.
Seeing people thoroughly enjoy a green and low-carbon lifestyle, Xi said that a good ecological environment brings true happiness.
During his trip in June to Qinghai Province, home to Qinghai Lake, China's largest inland saltwater lake, Xi urged the province to accelerate its development into a world-class salt lake industrial hub, a national highland for the clean energy industry, an international eco-tourism destination, and a supplier of green and organic agricultural and livestock products.
Remarkable changes have taken place due to Xi's commitment to green development. Official data show that China has witnessed the world's fastest improvement in air quality since 2012, with the average density of fine particulate matter (PM2.5) in cities at the prefecture level and above dropping to 29 micrograms/cubic meter as of 2023. In major cities, days with heavy pollution have decreased by 93 percent.
Efforts to combat desertification have led to reductions in both desertified and sandy areas, while carbon emission intensity decreased by over 35 percent from 2012 to 2023.
The proportion of good-quality surface water bodies nationwide reached 87.9 percent by 2023, close to the level in developed countries.
Dianchi Lake in southwest China's Yunnan Province serves as another example in this regard. Once heavily polluted, the lake has seen improvements in water quality and a resurgence in tourism thanks to ecosystem restoration efforts. During his inspection of the lake in January 2020, Xi emphasized the need for persistent, comprehensive and systematic clean-up efforts, along with controlling the sources of pollution.
As the world's second-largest economy makes steady progress in ecological advancement, it is open to cooperation in promoting the global green transition.
In a congratulatory letter to the Green Development Forum of Shanghai Cooperation Organization Countries in July, Xi stressed that China, committed to the philosophy that lucid waters and lush mountains are invaluable assets, has unswervingly pursued a development model featuring improved production, better living standards and healthy ecosystems.
China hopes to strengthen communication and cooperation in the field of green development with all parties in order to boost the sustainable economic and social development of all countries and promote harmonious coexistence between humans and nature, Xi noted in the letter. Enditem
中新经纬1月12日电 深圳市人力资源和社会保障局官方微信11日回应“深圳一公司男高管违法开除男员工”称，涉事公司经综合考虑该管理人员处理纠纷时存在不当言论及其他因素，于2023年2月对其进行降职处理，并于2023年3月 中新经纬2月23日电 题：马面裙脱销背后，品牌价值尚待深挖 作者 李杰 中新经纬特约专家、山东工艺美术学院服装学院院长 近年来，汉服消费愈加火热，特别是这个春节里马面裙再次火爆出圈，无疑带动了一轮文化消费热。 约7折“抄底”剩余50%股权，领展全资吞下上海万科七宝项目，6个月过渡期后拟更名 对于此次7折收购七宝万科广场剩余50%股权，领展资产管理发言人向《每日经济新闻》记者介绍： 七宝项目规模庞大且兼具长期增长潜力， 2023年市场监管部门检查涉企收费单位7.9万家 本报讯 记者万静 近日国家市场监督管理总局对外披露数据显示，2023年我国各级市场监管部门共检查涉企收费单位7.9万家，罚没4.3亿元，退还企业21.6亿元。其中，检查政府部 京津冀以就业服务协同激发区域就业新活力 中新网北京2月22日电 (记者 杜燕)在京津冀协同发展战略实施十周年之际，京津冀三地人社部门22日在北京城市副中心三大建筑之一――北京城市图书馆联合举办“京津冀人社 2023年北京高精尖产业新设市场主体占比提升至66.1% 中新网北京2月22日电 (记者 吕少威)京津冀协同发展十年来，北京科技、商务、文化、信息等高精尖产业新设市场主体占比由2013年的40.7%上升至2023年的66.1%。 。本文链接：Xi Focus: Xi steers China into sweeping green transitionhttp://www.sushuapos.com/show-5-25100-0.html
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