Thursday marks China's second National Ecology Day, the designation of which demonstrates the country's relentless drive to push for green transition as the global green cause is facing grave challenges.

The commitment has recently been reinforced at the third plenary session of the 20th Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee in July. The plenum adopted a resolution on further deepening reform comprehensively to advance Chinese modernization, in which "Building a Beautiful China" is listed as a major objective.

The resolution stresses the plan to "prioritize ecological protection, conserve resources and use them efficiently, and pursue green and low-carbon development."

How has China balanced economic growth and ecological protection? And what role does the country play in building a clean and beautiful world?

SIMULTANEOUS DEVELOPMENT OF ECONOMY AND ECOLOGY

Erik Solheim, co-chair of the Europe-Asia Center and former under-secretary-general of the United Nations (UN), often refers to a core concept of Chinese President Xi Jinping's thought on ecological civilization when introducing China's green development to the world: "lucid waters and lush mountains are invaluable assets."

Solheim, who has paid many visits to China, praised the country's coordinated approach to promote green development and drive economic growth simultaneously.

"China is now the core of global green development and an indispensable force in the global green transformation," Solheim said.

In Dengkou County, north China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, a huge photovoltaic (PV) power generation base has been built in the Ulan Buh Desert. Rows of PV panels stand in the desert, while sand-control plants such as cistanche are growing well near the panels.

Dubbed "desert ginseng," cistanche is a herb used to boost immunity, and ideal for biological nitrogen fixation. The project in the desert can generate power and create considerable income, contributing to ecological management at the same time.

John Cobb, Jr., a member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and founding president of the California-based Institute for Postmodern Development of China, said ecological civilization promoted by China is a "wise concept."

"One of the great wisdoms of the concept of ecological civilization is to integrate 'civilization' and 'ecology' that most Westerners think are incompatible; another great wisdom is to coordinate economic development and environmental protection, which many Westerners regard as opposites, to achieve the goal of developing the economy while protecting the environment," Cobb said.

The renowned U.S. ecological philosopher has come to China many times in the past decade, which has allowed him to witness with his own eyes the great changes in China and the progress in ecological civilization construction.

PEOPLE-CENTERED APPROACH

A river runs through the border of China's Jiangxi and Hunan provinces. The upstream in Jiangxi is known as Pingshui River, while the lower course in Hunan is called Lushui River.

In July 2019, the two provinces signed an ecological protection compensation agreement to overcome the cross-border governance dilemma. With joint efforts, polluting enterprises have been replaced with green industries, and water quality has continuously met the standard.

"China's commitment to ecological civilization has made remarkable strides in recent years, significantly enhancing the well-being of its people," said Andrew Schwartz, a U.S. philosopher and executive director of the Center for Process Studies.

The case of the river exemplifies China's broader efforts to improve ecological environment in recent years.

"During my recent visit to Zhuhai, I witnessed firsthand the city's dedication to preserving its natural beauty," Schwartz recalled. "I was especially impressed by the transformation of villages in Zhuhai, which exemplified a creative approach that makes these spaces more livable, while also establishing new revenue streams for villagers, maintaining the history of traditional culture, and utilization of green spaces for public well-being."

"I consider this a good example of Chinese-style modernization," he noted.

"China's progress towards ecological civilization is truly commendable, reflecting a holistic approach that balances economic development with environmental stewardship, ultimately enhancing the quality of life for its citizens," he said.

IMPROVING GLOBAL ECOLOGICAL GOVERNANCE

An allium garden in Kunming, southwest China's Yunnan Province, provides locals with the opportunity to enjoy the beauty of biodiversity of allium species beyond onions and chives in their kitchen.

The Kunming Center of the China-Uzbekistan Global Allium Garden was launched in 2018 to facilitate bilateral cooperation to collect and conserve allium and support allium research, utilization, and public education. A sister garden was established in the Uzbek capital of Tashkent in 2019.

At the other end of China, on the northeastern border with Russia, Siberian tigers and leopards can now migrate freely in their habitat through cross-border animal passages. It is the fruit of closer cooperation between national parks of China and Russia in recent years.

"It falls to all of us to act together and urgently to advance protection and development in parallel, so that we can turn Earth into a beautiful homeland for all creatures to live in harmony," Xi said when he addressed the UN Summit on Biodiversity in September 2020.

Xi's thought on ecological civilization "has had profound effects on China and the rest of the world," said Adhere Cavince, a Kenya-based international relations scholar.

"China is now actively sharing its wisdom and knowledge with partner countries on how to muster progressive and productive ecological practices," and has been actively involved in efforts to spearhead responsible global ecological governance frameworks, Cavince said.

Since 2019, China has been the largest contributor to the core budget for the Convention on Biological Diversity and its protocols.

Late May saw the official launch of the Kunming Biodiversity Fund, for which China was a leading founder and pledged an initial contribution of 1.5 billion yuan (210 million U.S. dollars). The fund will provide financial, technical, and capacity support for developing countries to implement the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework.

Ahmed Maher Abo-Gabal, an Egyptian researcher in international relations and political affairs, said China's arrangements to comprehensively deepen reform and advance Chinese modernization, which include responding to climate change and reaching peak carbon emissions and carbon neutrality, will have a positive and far-reaching impact on the development of Global South countries.