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
深圳一公司高管违法开除员工？深圳市人社局通报 中新网1月12日电 深圳市人力资源和社会保障局微信公众号1月11日晚发布通报称，1月10日，有关“深圳一公司男高管违法开除男员工”的信息在网络平台流传，引发网民关注。 (经济观察)花式玩法点亮中国春节旅游市场 中新社北京2月18日电 题：花式玩法点亮中国春节旅游市场 中新社记者 刘文文 餐厅爆满、景区门票售罄、热门酒店“一房难求”……春节假期，中国旅游市场一片红火。 吃不完，根本吃不完！已经是年后的第三个工作日了。从全国各地陆续返回工位的人们，依然能回忆起被某种春节限定美食支配一整个假期的恐惧。“各省都有自己的噩梦”这个热搜年前就火了，但只有经历过“每 拼版照片：上图为20世纪80年代的厦门筼筜湖（资料照片）；下图为2024年1月24日拍摄的厦门筼筜湖及周边城市景观（新华社记者姜克红摄，无人机照片）。新华社记者付敏城在海上，海在城中。筼筜湖，犹如镶嵌在厦门岛中央 中新经纬2月23日电 国家邮政局官方微信号23日称，近日，国家邮政局发出通知，要求全系统全行业提高思想认识，严格周密部署，强化责任落实，切实做好全国两会期间寄递渠道安全服务保障工作。 通知指出，各级邮政管理部门要强 中新经纬2月23日电 (刘雪玉)论坛上聊Sora，吃饭聊Sora，甚至走路也在聊Sora……亚布力论坛上，与会企业家们的高密度讨论，再度印证Sora的火爆。 “横空出世”的Sora到底有多大的冲击力，这项技术对未来有怎样的意义？参会 。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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