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Speakers:

Mr. Zhuang Shaoqin, vice minister of natural resources

Mr. Liu Guohong, a member of the CPC Leading Group of the Ministry of Natural Resources (MNR) and chief engineer of the MNR 

Mr. Li Chunliang, vice administrator of the National Forestry and Grassland Administration (NFGA)

Mr. Zhang Zhanhai, chief engineer of the MNR

Mr. Yu Haifeng, director general of the Geological Exploration Department, MNR

Chairperson:

Ms. Shou Xiaoli, spokesperson of the Publicity Department of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China (CPC)

Date:

Sept. 19, 2022

Shou Xiaoli:

Ladies and gentlemen, good morning. Welcome to this press conference held by the Publicity Department of the CPC Central Committee. Today, we are holding the 33rd press conference under the theme of "China in the past decade." We are delighted to have invited Mr. Zhuang Shaoqin, vice minister of natural resources; Mr. Liu Guohong, a member of the CPC Leading Group of the MNR and the ministry's chief engineer; and Mr. Li Chunliang, vice administrator of the NFGA, to brief you on achievements in China's natural resources development in the new era and take your questions. Also joining us today are Mr. Zhang Zhanhai, chief engineer of the MNR, and Mr. Yu Haifeng, director general of the Geological Exploration Department, MNR.

Now, let's give the floor to Mr. Zhuang Shaoqin for his introduction.

Zhuang Shaoqin:

Ladies and gentlemen, friends from the media, good morning. First of all, I would like to thank the Publicity Department of the CPC Central Committee for giving us the opportunity to take part in this press conference, and to thank you for your long-term care, support and help for the natural resources sector.

Since the 18th CPC National Congress, the CPC Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping at its core, with a strategic perspective of the sustained development of the Chinese nation, has deeply promoted the reform of the ecological civilization system. The past years have seen historic achievements and changes in China's natural resources development, which have effectively promoted the modernization of harmonious coexistence between man and nature.

Over the past decade, we have kept in mind the worst-case scenarios, strictly protected farmland, effectively guaranteed the supply of resources, and effectively supported high-quality development and a high quality of life. We have continued to implement the most stringent farmland protection system, strictly set a redline ensuring that the total farmland shall be no less than 1.8 billion mu (120 million hectares), and consolidated the foundation of national food security. We have continued to strengthen basic geological surveys and mineral resource exploration. The reserves of major mineral resources increased, and the outputs of coal, tungsten and other mineral products have ranked first in the world for many years. Significant progress has been made in extracting gas hydrates, or what we usually call "flammable ice." We have optimized the layout of land and space in accordance with laws and regulations, ensured the supply of land in an orderly manner, and effectively supported the implementation of major national strategies such as coordinated regional development, new urbanization and rural revitalization. Land used for urban housing, parks and green spaces, and public service facilities has grown substantially, and the living environment in urban and rural areas has improved significantly.

Over the past decade, we have thoroughly implemented a comprehensive resource conservation strategy, continued to improve the ability to conserve and effectively use resources, and promoted the comprehensive green transformation of economic and social development. We have adhered to and implemented the most stringent system of economical use of land, controlled the total amount and intensity of land used for construction, and improved the evaluation system for economical use of land across regions and projects. We have put inefficiently utilized land into use to meet the increasing needs for construction. We strictly marked the boundaries of urban development and promoted high-quality green urban development featuring efficiency and effectiveness. From 2012 to 2021, the land used for construction per unit of GDP nationwide dropped by 40.85%, and the economic density of land increased significantly. In accordance with the requirements of resource conservation and green development, a survey and evaluation system for the development and utilization of mineral resources has been established to promote the comprehensive utilization of resources and accelerate the development of green mining.

Over the past decade, we have followed the philosophy that lucid waters and lush mountains are invaluable assets, and the concept that mountains, rivers, forests, farmlands, lakes, grasslands and deserts form a living community. The quality and stability of the ecosystem have continued to improve, which has effectively promoted the building of a beautiful China. We have adhered to and implemented the most stringent environmental protection system, scientifically set redlines for ecological protection, and brought the total area under protection to more than 30% of China's territory. Except for major national projects, coastal reclamation activities are no longer allowed, and new island reclamation is strictly controlled. A system of nature reserves with national parks as the mainstay has been established, the first batch of national parks has been established, and natural and cultural heritage resources have been protected and used in an orderly manner. The value and advantages of China's diverse natural resources have been further brought into play. We have adhered to systematic governance, retained security boundaries for the natural environment, and provided high-quality ecological products for the people. We have promoted the implementation of major projects for the protection and restoration of important ecosystems across the country, and deployed and implemented a number of integrated protection and restoration projects for mountains, rivers, forests, farmlands, lakes, grasslands and deserts, and the quality of river and lake ecosystems has been significantly improved. Forest coverage has increased to 24.02%, and the desertified land under management has achieved a historic change from "sand encroaching on human habitats" to "people pushing back the deserts."

In the past 10 years, we have advanced the reform of ecological conservation system, and improved the natural resources governance system and capacity by stepping up scientific and technological innovation and applying information technology. We have pressed ahead with the reform of the property rights system for natural resources assets. We have established a system for the confirmation and registration of natural resources ownerships, explored a principal-agent system for the property rights of natural resources assets owned by the whole people, and set up a paid-use mechanism for natural resources covering major categories such as land and mineral resources. Completing the third national land survey, the MNR compiled China's first territorial spatial planning outline and set up a unified planning system for national territorial space. We have advanced reforms in the natural resources field to delegate power, streamline administration, and optimize government services. Based on unified criteria, unified planning, and the same digital map and platform, we have integrated various review and approval items into one, various certifications into one, and streamlined various kinds of surveying and mapping into one. That means immovable property can be registered at one department rather than various departments as before. It takes at most five days for common registration and mortgage registration of immovable property in all cities and counties across China, which helps improve the business environment. Based on the real scene 3D China project, we have been building a new type of basic surveying and mapping system to promote digital and smart territorial spatial planning. The investigation, monitoring, early-warning, and prevention and control systems for geological and marine disasters have been improved, which have reduced casualties and property damage caused by disasters. We promulgated the Wetland Protection Law and revised the Land Management Law, Forest Law, and Surveying and Mapping Law. We have intensified the national supervision and inspection of natural resources, protecting natural resources and the ecological environment with the strictest system and law-based governance. In so doing, we have formed a rational process for land development strictly based on functional zoning. 

In the past decade, we have engaged in international cooperation to promote the global governance of natural resources and ecological conservation. We have contributed to global ecological conservation, the building of a community of all life on Earth, the UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, as well as the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration. Together with the International Union for Conservation of Nature, we released typical Chinese practices through nature-based solutions. We have participated in the maritime governance mechanism within the UN framework and launched China's action for a Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development (2021-2030). We have actively forged blue partnerships and established marine cooperative relations with more than 50 countries and international organizations, providing public goods and services, including tsunami pre-warning for countries around the South China Sea. We donated high-resolution global land cover data to the UN and set up a UN Global Geospatial Knowledge and Innovation Center in China.

Next, on the new journey, guided by Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era, we will apply the new development philosophy in full, in the right way, and in all fields of endeavor. Focusing on the new development paradigm, we will strive to break new ground in promoting natural resources development so as to make more contributions to fully building a modern socialist China. 

Now, my colleagues and I would like to take your questions. Thank you.

Shou Xiaoli:

Thank you, Mr. Zhuang. Now the floor is open for questions. Please identify the media outlet you represent before raising questions. 

Red Star News:

Food security is a crucial strategic issue concerning national security. Farmland is the lifeblood of food security, and never crossing the red line for 120 million hectares of farmland is the prerequisite for food security. What measures has China taken to secure the red line in the past decade? What are the results? Thank you. 

Liu Guohong:

Thank you for your question. The CPC Central Committee and the State Council have attached great importance to arable land protection. Since the 18th CPC National Congress, General Secretary Xi Jinping has made important instructions on farmland protection and underscored practicing the strictest farmland protection system and protecting farmland just as we protect pandas. Firmly implementing the spirit of General Secretary Xi Jinping's important instructions and the decisions and arrangements of the CPC Central Committee and the State Council, we have taken tough measures to abide by the red line for 120 million hectares of farmland, which can be summarized into five aspects. 

First, we have enforced strict legal system on farmland protection. We improved laws and regulations, revised the Land Management Law and a regulation on implementing the Land Management Law, and promulgated the Black Soil Protection Law. The CPC Central Committee and the State Council issued a guideline on strengthening farmland protection and offsetting farmland used for other purposes. The State Council released documents to prevent the use of farmland for non-agricultural and non-grain purposes. Second, we have drawn red lines for farmland and permanent basic farmland. We launched the prioritized protection of farmland. In the national territorial space planning outline and in designating urban space, agricultural space, and ecological space with three red lines for urban development boundaries, permanent basic farmland, and ecological conservation, protection tasks of farmland, and permanent basic farmland with designated locations were deployed to local governments. Thus, we can ensure that farmland is prioritized as designated and will be protected as much as possible. Third, we have strictly prohibited non-agricultural use of farmland and maintained a balance between occupation and replenishment of farmland. The use of farmland for non-agricultural construction should be replenished before being occupied, and the size and fertility of the land should be ensured. Occupied paddy fields should be replenished with paddy fields. We strictly verified and confirmed the replenishment of farmland and set up a disclosure system for replenished land to ensure real replenishment. Fourth, we have strictly prohibited the use of farmland for other agricultural purposes and maintained a balance between usage and replenishment. The third national land survey exposed problems such as sharp decrease of farmland caused by use for other agricultural purposes. In response, we required that if the farmland is turned into forest, grassland and garden land, replenishment of equal amount and quality should be made to ensure stable and long-term use. Fifth, we have launched strict supervision and law enforcement for farmland protection. National natural resources departments have strengthened supervision and inspection of provincial governments' performance of their responsibilities in protecting farmland. Ledgers for problems are established to urge rectification. Satellite remote sensing technology has been applied to help law enforcement with satellite images so as to promptly detect, investigate and handle illegal practices. We made typical cases public to deter people from similar practices. 

Through the abovementioned measures, coupled with the strong leadership of the CPC Central Committee and the State Council, the support and supervision from all sectors of society, and the cooperation among Party committees and governments at all levels as well as related departments, markable results have been secured in farmland protection over the past decade, meeting the target set by the State Council to keep a total of 1.865 billion mu of farmland in 2020, thus securing the redline. Particularly in the past two years, the decline of farmland has been initially curbed, and the total area of farmland in 2021 registered a net increase. Thank you.

China County Times:

Since the 18th CPC National Congress, historic, transformative, and holistic changes have taken place in China's ecological progress. As important departments for promoting ecological progress, what main measures have the forestry and grassland departments taken, and what specific contributions have been made over the past decade? Thank you.

Li Chunliang:

Thank you for your questions. First of all, I would like to thank all the friends from the press for your long-term interest and support in our work. 

Since the 18th CPC National Congress, the CPC Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping at its core has attached great importance to promoting ecological progress as well as the development of forestry and grassland sector. General Secretary Xi Jinping has always kept forestry and grassland related work in mind and made a series of important expositions and instructions in this regard. He has participated in tree planting in the capital of Beijing for 10 consecutive years and conducted multiple inspections and investigations in forestry areas, tree farms, grasslands, and national parks, which has promoted historic achievements and transformations in the field of forestry and grassland.

The forestry and grassland departments at all levels have thoroughly implemented Xi Jinping Thought on Ecological Civilization, made solid progress in promoting the integrated development of forestry, grassland, and national parks, to make lush forests and grassland be part of the beautiful eco-environment.

Let me first present you with a set of data. China's forest area registers 230.67 million hectares, ranking fifth worldwide; forest stock stands at 19.49 billion cubic meters, ranking sixth worldwide; and man-made forest area amounts to 87.6 million hectares, ranking first worldwide. Grassland area registers 264.53 million hectares, ranking second worldwide, and wetland area reaches about 56.67 million hectares, ranking fourth worldwide. China is also one of the 12 countries with the richest biodiversity in the world, holding almost all types of ecosystems in the world. The numbers of higher plant species and vertebrate species in China account for 10% and 13.7% of the world's total, respectively, both ranking among the top globally. The total carbon storage of forests and grassland in China stands at 11.44 billion tons, also ranking among the top in the world.

The data reflects China's excellent ecological performance in forestry and grassland development since the 18th CPC National Congress. Here, I will brief you on the performance from six aspects.

Over the past decade, we have made solid efforts to build a beautiful China by expanding greenery. Through continuous large-scale greening programs, we have afforested 64 million hectares of land, planted grass and improved the original vegetation and eco-environment of grassland on 11 million hectares of land, and added or restored more than 800,000 hectares of wetlands. Our forest coverage rate and comprehensive vegetation coverage of grassland have reached 24.02% and 50.32%, respectively. China has contributed a quarter of the world's new forest areas in the past decade.

Over the past decade, a new nature reserve system has taken shape. We have strived to build a national park-based nature reserve system with nature reserves as the foundation and various types of nature parks as supplements. The first group of five national parks has been officially established, namely the Three-River-Source National Park, the Giant Panda National Park, the Northeast China Tiger and Leopard National Park, the Hainan Tropical Forests National Park, and the Wuyishan National Park. The China National Botanical Garden and the South China National Botanical Garden have been set up in Beijing and Guangzhou, respectively. Effective protection has been ensured for 74% of wildlife species under key protection and 65% of higher plant communities. Last year, you well covered the northbound trek of the wild Asian elephants and their safe return to Yunnan province. Here, I would like to refresh your memory on these. Last year, a herd of 15 Asian elephants all returned to their original habitat of Xishuangbanna National Nature Reserve after wandering more than 1,400 kilometers in 124 days, and are now living a leisurely life. Yesterday, I asked the monitoring personnel to send me pictures of the elephants, and I'd like to share one with you here. In the picture, there are four Asian elephants, including two mothers and two babies. The two babies are what we cared about the most last year. They were born during last year's northbound trip and are very healthy now. They weighed 100 kilograms at birth, and now, as I was told by the monitoring staff, appear to weigh 300 kilograms, as you can see in the picture. Thank you for your interest in them.

Over the past decade, we have focused on desert ecological protection to set a global benchmark. We have protected around 18.53 million hectares of land with desertification prevention and treatment. We have saved 5 million hectares from desertification, prevented 4.33 million hectares from becoming sandy land, and prevented 5.26 million hectares from becoming stony deserts. Up to 53% of manageable desertified land has been treated. Many role models working for desertification control, such as Wang Youde, have stood out. A spirit of desertification control has formed, represented by afforestation efforts in Babusha Forest Farm in Gansu province, Youyu county in Shanxi province, and Kekeya in Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region.

Over the past 10 years, a new forest and grassland resource management pattern has taken shape. We have introduced the forest-chief system nationwide, appointing nearly 1.2 million forest chiefs at the five administrative levels of province, city, county, township and village. Among them, 421 are also provincial-level officials. The information-based management of forest and grassland resources has improved dramatically, and an internet-based sensing system of forest and grassland ecology has been built. Thanks to these efforts, we have been able to monitor forest and grassland resources within one system, evaluate them by one set of indexes, and manage them through one map. The shares of the fire-related damaged area to the overall forest area and the total grassland area have been stably kept below 0.9‰ and 3‰, respectively, considerably lower than the global average.

Over the past decade, major ecological projects have been carried out to ensure ecological security. We have implemented 66 regional and systematic forest and grassland management projects and 40 pilot demonstration projects on national territorial greening in major ecological areas such as the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, the Yellow River Basin, and the Yangtze River Basin. We have carried out natural forest protection projects in an all-around way, benefiting about 171.87 million hectares of natural forests, and implemented projects converting cropland to forests and grasslands, covering around 34.67 million hectares of cropland in two rounds of practices and extending Shaanxi province's green land by 400 kilometers to the north. A total of 15 million-mu shelter forest bases have been built under the Three-North (Northeast China, North China and Northwest China) Shelterbelt Forest Program, China's earliest and longest-running afforestation project. We have implemented systems prohibiting grazing on grassland and maintained a balance between grassland and livestock to promote the rehabilitation of the vast grassland.

Over the past decade, we have implemented the concept that "lucid waters and lush mountains are invaluable assets" and intensified our efforts to improve the environment and people's living standards. We have facilitated and given full play to the role of forest and grassland resources as "a reservoir, a granary, a bank vault and a carbon sink," contributing to the critical battle of poverty alleviation and rural revitalization. In 2021, the overall output value of China's forestry industry exceeded 8 trillion yuan. The plantation area of tea-oil trees reached 4.53 million hectares, benefiting nearly two million poverty-stricken people by increasing their incomes. We have actively promoted the development of the featured forestry and fruit industry. A total area of 300,000 hectares has been allocated for the forestry and fruit industry in Aksu prefecture in Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, contributing to one-third of local farmers' average net income. A total of 1.102 million poverty-stricken people have been hired and registered to work as forest rangers nationwide, and 23,000 afforestation and grass planting cooperatives have been established, helping more than 20 million people get rid of poverty and increase their income.

From the achievements mentioned above, we can strongly feel that over the past decade, under the guidance of Xi Jinping Thought on Ecological Civilization, China's ecology has continued to become better both in the aspects it reveals and the way it develops. It presents a vivid picture of harmonious coexistence between humans and nature, with the people thoroughly enjoying a sound ecological environment of blue sky, green land and clear water. Meanwhile, the international community has also widely recognized China in building the ecological civilization. China has become a participant, promoter and trailblazer of global ecological civilization construction.

People.cn:

The mountain, river, forest, farmland, lake, grassland and desert coexist with a shared future. Therefore, we must systematically consider various ecological elements while implementing protection and restoration. The MNR is responsible for exercising the responsibility of national territorial ecological protection and restoration in a unified way, so what major measures has the MNR taken to promote ecological protection and restoration in recent years, and what results have been achieved? Thank you.

Zhuang Shaoqin:

Ecosystem protection and restoration is a basic responsibility of the MNR and an essential aspect of the "two unifications," that is, unification in performing the duties of the owner of public-owned natural resource assets and unification in performing the duties of regulating the use of all territorial space and protecting and restoring ecosystems. I have also noticed that other government departments have recently introduced the achievements made in ecological protection and restoration. Today, I want to give an introduction focusing on some measures taken by the MNR. We have promoted ecological protection and restoration by following Xi Jinping Thought on Ecological Civilization. In particular, we have worked according to the principle of improving governance with laws and regulations, systematic and comprehensive measures, and an emphasis on addressing the root causes of issues.

We have first strengthened overall planning in addressing the root causes of issues. As we said, the national territorial space planning outline has set the red lines for ecological conservation. All eco-areas of great significance and sensitivity have been included within the red lines, such as the national park-based nature reserve system. With the setting of the red lines, we have established a pattern for safeguarding national ecological security by constructing protective barriers for eco-security in the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, the important ecological areas along the Yellow River and the Yangtze River, the northeast forest belts, the sand control belts in the north, the hilly and mountainous areas in the south, and the coastal zones. At the same time, the MNR, the National Development and Reform Commission and other departments have jointly issued an overall plan for major national eco-system protection and restoration projects and nine special construction plans. The plans have stated clearly that by 2035, ecological problems in not only ecological spaces, but also agricultural and urban spaces must be solved systematically. Hence, a coordinated arrangement has been made at the overall level to address the root causes of problems.

Second, we have strengthened systemic governance. According to the concept put forward by General Secretary Xi Jinping, mountains, rivers, forests, farmlands, lakes, grasslands and deserts form a community of life. Instead of restoring one single element, we should take into consideration the ecosystem as a whole and conduct systemic governance of regions and drainage basins. Since the beginning of the 13th Five-Year Plan period, we have focused on the protective barriers for eco-security in the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, the important ecological areas along the Yellow River and the Yangtze River, the northeast forest belts, the sand control belts in the north, the hilly and mountainous areas in the south, and the coastal zones, and planned and implemented 44 projects for the systemic conservation and restoration of mountains, rivers, forests, farmlands, lakes, grasslands, and deserts, with over 2 million hectares having been treated and restored. At the same time, by focusing on areas where mineral resources are concentrated, especially areas covered by national major regional development strategies, such as the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region, the Yangtze Economic Belt, and the Yellow River basin, we have carried out ecological conservation and restoration of mines with restored areas reaching 280,000 hectares. We have also taken further steps to launch actions such as the Blue Bay environmental improvement initiative, protection and restoration of coastal belts, and protection and restoration of mangrove forests. A total of 1,500 kilometers of coastlines and 30,000 hectares of coastal wetlands have been restored. In addition, we have also promoted ecological restoration in rural areas by launching comprehensive land improvement in holistic approaches, contributing to rural revitalization.

Third, we have been committed to comprehensive governance. We have established new mechanisms for ecological conservation and restoration. In particular, we have rolled out policies for encouraging and supporting the participation of nongovernmental capital in protecting and restoring ecosystems. New incentive mechanisms and policies, as well as new models of investment and financing, have been adopted to attract the participation of nongovernmental capital. At the same time, we have carried out the reform of the natural resource assets property rights system in a coordinated way to promote the realization of the value of ecological products. Other relevant policies have been issued, such as management policies for drawing red lines for protecting the ecosystems, designating permanent basic cropland, and delineating boundaries for urban development in the "three types of territorial spaces and three types of control lines" to reflect the idea of prioritizing ecological conservation. There are also policies focusing on coastal reclamation activities and land greening programs. All these policies are expected to arouse the enthusiasm of the whole society to promote comprehensive governance of the ecological environment.

Fourth, we have been committed to law-based governance. New advances have been made in the rule of law in the protection and restoration of ecosystems. Over the years, we have carried out formulation and revision of the Law on Development and Protection of Territorial Space, the Law on the Planning of Territorial Space, the Law on Nature Reserves, the Law on National Parks, and laws and regulations related to land, forests, grasslands, wetlands, farmlands, and minerals, providing strong legal support for ecological conservation and restoration.

In short, over the years, we have acted upon the guiding principles of Xi Jinping Thought on Ecological Civilization and carried out institutional reforms from the above aspects, laying a sound foundation for eco-environmental construction. Thank you.

Guangming Daily:

One of the major changes in China's society over the past decade is the realization of unified registration of immovable property, which concerns numerous households. What progress has been made in institutional development in this regard? What new measures have been adopted in the areas that people are concerned about, such as shortening the time required for registration and providing more convenient services? Thank you.

Liu Guohong:

Thank you for your question. Establishing the unified registration system for immovable property and integrating responsibilities of registration of immovable property are major decisions and plans made by the CPC Central Committee and the State Council. Over the past decade, setting one goal a year and advancing step by step, we have successfully accomplished the reform of unified registration of immovable property and continuously improved the quality, level, and efficiency of registration services, effectively protecting the property rights of enterprises and the people and ensuring the security of immovable property transactions. It can be said that the work has served all walks of life and benefited numerous households, mainly reflected in three aspects.

First, the unified registration system for immovable property has been established and put into practice, with the goal achieved as scheduled. I would like to brief you about the work we have done in recent years. In 2013, the CPC Central Committee and the State Council made the decision to launch the reform of the unified registration system for immovable property. In 2014, the Provisional Regulations on the Registration of Immovable Property was promulgated. In 2015, the integration of responsibilities and agencies for the registration of immovable property in China was completed. In 2016, the initiative of issuing new immovable property registration certificates and suspending old ones was completed. In 2017, all the registration agencies at city and county levels were included on the national registration information platform. It took five years for us to achieve the goal of reform for unification in four aspects, including registration agencies, registration bases, registration books, and the registration information platforms. 

Second, the quality, level, and efficiency of registration services have been improved to facilitate the registration of people and enterprises. We have implemented information integration, process integration or personnel integration, simplified application materials and procedures, and continued to reduce the time required for immovable property registration. We have promoted services to facilitate and benefit people, and provided "single-window and inter-agency services" for registration, transaction, and taxation of immovable property, and "Internet Plus Immovable Property Registration." At present, all cities and counties have basically realized five-day processing of general registration and mortgage registration.

Third, practical measures have been taken to resolve the most pressing difficulties and problems that are of great concern to the people to enhance their sense of fulfillment. We have continued to promote localities to resolve difficulties in registration caused by longstanding issues, with a large number of people receiving property ownership certificates. We have planned and launched trials for cleaning up longstanding issues in regulating the determination and registration of forest tenure. Guided under the principles of respecting history and seeking truth from facts, we have taken steady steps to resolve longstanding issues in forest tenure registration. We have completed the immovable property registration of the resettlement housing for people relocated from inhospitable areas. By the end of June 2021, about 2.58 million resettlement houses for registered poor households had completed immovable property registration.

In the next step, we will continue to implement the people-centered development philosophy and make great efforts to improve the conduct of the ranks of the registration of immovable property according to the deployments of deepening reforms to streamline administration, delegate powers, improve regulation, strengthen services, and improve the business environment, which were deployed by the CPC Central Committee and the State Council. We have continuously improved the convenience of registering immovable property to make it give full play to its important role in protecting property rights, guaranteeing transactions, and serving the interests of the people and enterprises. Thank you. 

Southern Metropolis Daily:

The maritime economy is an important part of the national economy. A developed maritime economy is an important support for building a strong maritime country. Over the past decade, what progress has been made in developing the maritime economy and building a strong maritime country? What are the next major tasks? Thank you.  

Zhang Zhanhai:

Thank you for your questions. As you said, the maritime economy is an important manifestation of comprehensive national power and is closely related to the lives of the people. Therefore, the whole of society attaches great importance to it. The oceans are strategically important to high-quality development. We should speed up the progress in the construction of world-class sea ports, a well-established modern maritime industry system, and a green and sustainable marine ecological environment to push for the building of a maritime power, General Secretary Xi Jinping has noted. MNR has conscientiously implemented the spirit of General Secretary Xi Jinping's important instructions and worked together with related departments and localities to promote the high-quality development of the maritime economy. New progress has been made in developing the maritime economy. 

First, the overall strength of the maritime economy has been improved. From 2012 to 2021, the total value of the maritime economy rose from 5 trillion yuan to 9 trillion yuan, with its proportion to GDP remaining around 9%. The structure of maritime industries has also been continuously improved. In particular, the growth rate of emerging maritime industries has exceeded 10%. China is also the world's largest ship building country, which has been further enhanced. China has become a front-runner in ocean engineering equipment manufacturing. The scale of its maritime ports and the total installed capacity of offshore wind power have ranked first around the world. MNR also worked with related departments to release financial guidelines on supporting the development of the maritime economy. The loan balance of the maritime economy of major banks is maintained at 600 billion to 700 billion yuan. 

Second, the effective use of maritime resources has been enhanced. We established and improved a management and control system on sea reclamation with the aim of continuously strengthening management and control. We guaranteed the implementation of major national projects under strict management and control. We classified and resolved longstanding problems and quickened our steps to effectively revitalize sea reclamation resources. From 2018 to the first half of this year, 418 projects have been implemented, and the contractual right to 86.78 million ha of land has been confirmed, involving an investment of about 900 billion yuan. In addition, we strengthened the protection, utilization, and management of the coastline, and urged and guided localities to achieve the target of coastline retention rate. We also improved the system for paid use of sea areas and uninhabited islands to use maritime resources more efficiently. 

Third, progress has been made in the protection and restoration of maritime ecology. A maritime ecology early warning and monitoring system was basically established, and a targeted action plan for mangrove forest protection and restoration, as well as a campaign for maritime ecology protection and restoration, were carried out. Around 145 maritime protected areas were established across the country, covering an area of 7.91 million ha. In addition, 143 projects involving the Blue Bay environmental improvement and protection and restoration of coastal zones were launched, renovating and restoring 1,500 kilometers of coastline, 30,000 ha of coastal wetland, and 72 kilometers of ecological seawalls. 

Fourth, innovation in marine science and technology has been accelerated. Our country has 10 maritime satellites in orbit, and a maritime satellite constellation was established. Ocean exploration and transport operations, represented by the Jiaolong manned deep-sea submersible and the Fendouzhe (Striver) deep-sea manned submersible, have achieved a qualitative leap. The Xuelong 2 icebreaker filled in China's blanks in the field of major equipment for polar expeditions and is also our country's first domestically-built polar icebreaker. The continuous running time of domestically-developed megawatt tidal power generators has been leading the world. 

In the next step, we will follow the guidance of Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era; apply the new development philosophy in full, in the right way, and in all fields of endeavor; continuously improve the system for maritime resources protection and exploration; and safeguard China's maritime ecological security to promote the high-quality development of the maritime economy and make new contributions to building a strong maritime country. Thank you. 

The Beijing News:

We all know that China has a large population but scarce land, so while we adhere to the system of providing the strictest possible protection for farmland, we also try to stick to promoting the most efficient use of land. May I ask what results have been achieved in promoting efficient and intensive use of land and what are the next steps? Thank you.

Liu Guohong:

Thanks for your question. As we all know, the efficient and intensive use of land is not only an inherent requirement for green transformation and high-quality development but also a practical requirement for the protection of farmland, which is of great significance.

Since the 18th CPC National Congress, General Secretary Xi Jinping has given essential instructions on the efficient and intensive use of land on many occasions. In particular, he stressed that it is necessary to adhere to intensive development, define the total amount, limit the capacity, put idle land into use, optimize the increment, and improve the quality. Not long ago, the Central Commission for Comprehensively Deepening Reform reviewed and adopted opinions on comprehensively strengthening the resource conservation work, making new arrangements for the conservation and utilization of resources with high efficiency and creating higher demands.

We have firmly implemented the spirit of General Secretary Xi Jinping's important instructions and the decisions and plans made by the CPC Central Committee and the State Council, and taken a series of measures to better conserve land resources and use them efficiently.

First, we have strengthened planning and regulation. We have formulated and implemented the territorial space plan by integrating various plans into one. We have optimized the spatial pattern, coordinated the land use needs of various industries, and scientifically delineated boundaries for urban development, which will, in turn, spur the intensive urban development.

Second, we evaluate strictly. We have strengthened the evaluation of various construction projects in terms of the economical use of land and strictly implemented standards for land use quotas. We have strengthened the review, approval, and monitoring of land use in economic development zones. From 2012 to 2020, the overall plot ratio of national economic development zones increased from 0.83 to 1, and the average investment intensity of industrial land increased by more than 60%.

Third, we have strengthened incentives and constraints. We have adopted incentive policies in the aspects of use control, plot ratio adjustment and price adjustment to promote the redevelopment of inefficiently-used urban land and to put idle land into good use. In 2018, we established a mechanism linking the amount of newly-added land used for construction to the amount of idle land that put into use. Over the past four years, we have reduced 914,666 hectares of unused land, and handled 290,666 hectares of idle land. Currently, a quarter of the total supply of construction land are used to be unused or idle land. The proportion reaches 50% in some localities.

Fourth, we have focused on demonstration and guidance. In recent years, 46 economical land use technologies and models in three batches have been introduced, and 427 model counties (cities) and 24 model prefecture-level cities have been selected in three batches for efficient and intensive use of national land resources. This year, we launched an initiative to build model counties (cities) in economical and intensive use of natural resources covering land, minerals, and marine resources.

Over the past 10 years, China's economical and intensive land use system has improved, and the mechanism has become more complete. It now includes eight categories: planning and management; plan adjustment; standard control; market allocation; policy incentives; monitoring and supervision; assessment and evaluation; and joint responsibility. Through continuous efforts, the level of economical and intensive use of land has been significantly improved. Just as Mr. Zhuang Shaoqin introduced, from 2012 to 2021, the nationwide construction land use area per unit GDP dropped by 40.85%. 

Going forward, we will focus on strictly controlling new construction land and simultaneously putting idle land into use. We will continue to strengthen planning and regulation as well as land conservation evaluation to promote the efficient use of land in various construction projects. We will continue to deepen the linkage between the amount of newly-added construction land and that of unused and idle land, and improve the incentive measures for utilization of idle construction land. We will guide the whole society to enhance the awareness of the economical and intensive use of land and continuously improve the level of economical and intensive land use to better promote high-quality economic development. Thank you.

China Natural Resources News:

We know that the establishment of a territorial space planning system that integrates various types of plans into one single master plan is a major deployment for the reform of the system for developing an ecological civilization. Ever since the CPC Central Committee and the State Council issued the document of several opinions on building a territorial space planning system and supervising the implementation in 2019, how is this work progressing? Thank you.

Zhuang Shaoqin:

This document is the general design and overall deployment of the CPC Central Committee and the State Council to promote the integration of multiple plans. The document clearly states that space planning such as the plan to develop functional zones, land use plan, and planning in urban and rural areas should be integrated into a unified territorial space planning. At the same time, it also says that the implementation of "integrating various types of plans into a single master plan" should be promoted in accordance with the four aspects of plan formulation and approval, implementation and supervision, regulations and policies, and technical standards. I will mainly elaborate on these four aspects:

First, it's about the system of the plans' formulation and approval. The territorial space planning system includes five levels and three types, inheriting some characteristics from the previous plans for land use and urban and rural planning. The five levels refer to the administrative levels of the country, province, city, county, and township. Types include the master plan, detailed plan, and special plan. Currently, in terms of the master plan, the territorial space plan outline has been formulated. This outline is based on "three spaces and three lines," which means three types of land spaces, including urban space, agricultural space, and ecological space, as well as redlines for protecting the ecosystems, designating permanent basic farmland, and boundaries for urban development. Although the area within the three types of lines and boundaries is less than 50% of the entire territorial land area, it defines the skeleton and foundation of the entire territorial space layout. The delineation of "three spaces and three lines" provides a basic guarantee for ensuring China's food security, ecological security, and energy security, and promoting sustainable urban and rural development. When delineating the "three lines," priority was given to the protection of farmland. Red lines for farmland protection and ecological protection were drawn first, and then urban development boundaries were delineated, which is to spur the efficient and intensive land use and promote the green transformation of the economy and society. By coordinating the space requirements of various special plans on the "one map" of territorial space plan, we have truly implemented the "integration of various types of plans into a single master plan," while also promoting the digital transformation of space governance. The outline is of landmark significance for promoting the reform of the "integration of various types of plans into a single master plan." At the same time, the local territorial space planning, especially the territorial space planning above the city level, has already produced phased results.

In terms of the detailed plan, the reform broke through the original urban-rural division. Under the condition that the original urban-rural plan and land-use plan are handled in a consistent manner, the detailed regulatory plan can be formulated and revised for the urban areas, which can serve as a basis for guiding urban renewal and various constructions. In rural areas, village plans can be formulated to promote rural revitalization, which is also a type of detailed plan.

In terms of the special plan, there are actually two levels. At the national and regional levels, specific departments take the lead in formulating the special plans. After coordinating with the territorial space plan, special plans can be included in the territorial space plan to ensure the implementation of the special plans. At the city and county levels, according to the Urban and Rural Planning Law, the relevant special plans are an integral part of the master plan. Therefore, the MNR, together with the relevant departments, shall advance the special plans simultaneously with the master plan, and eventually, they shall be included in the territorial space plan to ensure their legitimacy and practicability.

Second, it is about the system for supervision on implementation. Since 2019, we have been building a supervision system for the implementation of the territorial space plan, which can incorporate all plans of "five levels and three types." The system can implement full-spectrum, all-factor, and full-life-cycle management of the entire territorial space so as to supervise each piece of land and each project. Meanwhile, we have established an oversight, evaluation, and early warning system for the implementation of the territorial space plan. This system conducts monitoring, evaluation, and early warning based on the annual surveys and changed status of territorial land and other surveys and information, including the monitoring of geographic and national conditions. Since last year, we have completed the examination and evaluation for 108 cities approved by the State Council based on the third national land survey. In the first half of this year, we have carried out special examinations and assessments in more than 600 cities across the country based on their population changes and other situations. In the future, we will conduct regular examinations and assessments according to the annual surveys. In addition, on the basis of "integration of multiple plans into one single master plan," we are promoting the reform of regulation over land use, especially the reforms for the integrations of multiple reviews into one and of multiple permits into one. Some localities have begun to combine the original two permits, namely, the construction land plan permit and the construction project plan permit.

Third, it is about the system of laws, regulations, and policies. Article 18 of the regulations for the implementation of the Land Administration Law implemented in 2021 stipulates that the state shall establish a territorial space planning system. The territorial space plan approved according to law is the fundamental basis for all kinds of development, protection, and construction activities. Where a territorial space plan has been prepared, the general plan for land utilization and the urban-rural plan shall no longer be prepared. After implementing "multi-planning into one," only the territorial space plan is the basis for construction and plan permission. At present, the National People's Congress is promoting the legislative work for the territorial space plan. Various localities have also done a lot of work actively in this regard. The cities of Dalian and Ningbo have issued municipal-level territorial space plan regulations, while Hunan, Guangdong, Zhejiang, and other provinces are formulating provincial-level regulations on territorial space plans.

Fourth, in terms of building a basic standard system, we have established technical standards for territorial space planning in a three-year action plan with the Standardization Administration of China (SAC). We did this to accelerate the building of a unified technical standard system from four aspects: common bases, compilation and approvals, supervision and implementation, and information technology. There are several characteristics in building such a system. First, it is necessary to adhere to "integrating multiple regulations into one," especially for unifying the classification of land and sea use. This is fundamental and includes the standards for the information and data. Second, it must meet the requirements of ecological civilization, especially the requirements of intensive conservation, green and low-carbon, and safety and resilience. Third, it must meet the requirements of high-quality development, adhere to a people-centered approach, and serve the people's needs for better lives. Fourth, it must emphasize adjusting measures to local conditions. We need to streamline the previous system which had too many standards. Moreover, we need to avoid the "one size fits all" approach which risks making cities and towns all look the same. We will give better play to local advantages and leave room for formulating local standards.

In addition to these four aspects, it is worth mentioning that, with the support of the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security, the development of the entire spatial planning industry has been very encouraging in recent years. The number of registered planners has increased from less than 30,000 before the reform to over 40,000 now, an increase of 39%. At the same time, the number of organizations with class-A qualifications for planner staff has increased from more than 400 to over 600. Furthermore, the number of registered planners and organizations has increased without the need to lower standards. Indeed, we have actually raised standards. Therefore, the industry has also been well developed. In terms of the discipline development, with the support from the Ministry of Education, some well-known universities have strengthened the development of the planning discipline in accordance with the requirements of "integrating multiple regulations into one" and building an ecological civilization.

Next, we will firmly implement the deployment of the CPC Central Committee and the State Council to promote the integration of multiple plans and continue to deepen the related reform. In particular, we will work to strengthen the planning regarding the aspects of science, authority, seriousness and effectiveness. And we will also continue to provide better support for the construction of new development patterns, promote the transformation of development methods, in order to pressing forward for a beautiful China and achieving harmony between human and nature. Thanks.

Zhonghongwang.com:

Over the past decade, China has implemented the strategic action of mineral exploration. What role does this action play in improving the guarantee of mineral resources? What are the future considerations? Thank you.

Yu Haifeng:

Thank you for your concerns about the mineral prospecting work. To implement the important instructions by General Secretary Xi Jinping and to guarantee the safety of national energy and resources, since 2011, we have organized and carried out strategic actions of mineral prospecting in accordance with the requirements of the State Council, and has developed a batch of strategic areas for important mineral resources in the past decade. Under the continuous increase in mining operation and consumption, the reserved resources of major minerals have generally increased. The specific data are as follows:

First, 23 large oil fields of 100 million metric tons and 28 large gas fields of 100 billion cubic meters were newly discovered, and 32 new non-oil and gas resource bases were also found.

Second, the newly proven geological reserves of petroleum in the western regions accounted for more than half of the country's total, and the output accounted for about one-third of the country's total. The newly proven geological reserves and natural gas production in western regions accounted for more than 80% of the country's total. Offshore oil and gas production accounted for about a quarter of the country. Especially in 2021, the crude oil output of Bohai Oilfield exceeded 30 million metric tons, and the new output increased significantly. In particular, we have founded 32 non-oil and gas mineral resource bases, and 25 of them are located in the western part of China.

Third, the added resources of over 80 old mines have reached large and medium-sized scale, and the service life of nearly 800 production mines has been extended to varying degrees.

Fourth, China's basic geological survey work has been improved. The coverage rate of the 1:50,000 regional geological survey has increased from 24.7% to 45.5%, and the survey work of important prospecting and prospective areas has been thoroughly surveyed.

Fifth, scientific research achievements, such as "the innovation of geological theory and the major breakthrough in prospecting of the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau" and the "trinity" prospecting prediction theory in solid mineral exploration areas, have greatly supported domestic prospecting activities.

Sixth, we have issued the "three rates" target requirements for 124 mineral varieties such as coal and iron, and selected and promoted 360 advanced and applicable technologies, processes and equipment. As a result, the recovery rates of petroleum, solid minerals, and ore beneficiation have increased by 9 percentage points, 8 percentage points, and 9.5 percentage points on average, respectively.

Seventh, we have promoted the revision of the "Mineral Resources Law," deepened reform on the mining rights transferring system, and formed new standards for the classification of mineral resources and reserves.

For the next step, the MNR will resolutely implement General Secretary Xi Jinping's important instructions, carry out the decisions and arrangements of the CPC Central Committee and the State Council, collaborate with relevant departments to launch a new round of mineral exploration campaigns with more focus on scarce strategic resources, enhance fundamental geological work, strengthen prospecting, especially accurate prospecting, and give full play to the role of various market entities so as to improve our ability to secure strategic mineral resources. 

The Poster News APP:

The surveying, mapping and geoinformation work is fundamental support for economic and social development, affecting all walks of life and serving thousands of families. What progress has been made in improving such support for economic and social development? What achievements have been made in this regard? Thank you.

Liu Guohong:

First of all, thank you for your concern about the surveying, mapping, and geoinformation work. As you said, this work is a basic but significant and glorious mission. In a reply letter to the veteran team members and CPC members of the First Geodetic Surveying Brigade of the MNR, General Secretary Xi Jinping fully affirmed the great spirit of those working on the frontlines of surveying, mapping and geoinformation, manifested in their loyalty to the Party and dedication to the country. Inspired by General Secretary Xi Jinping's important instructions, our staff in this field have worked hard, kept exploring new ground, and achieved transformation and upgrading in all work. Over the last decade, our basic surveying and mapping capabilities have been significantly improved, and geoinformation services have been expanded, providing strong support for economic and social development. It's mainly demonstrated in the following three aspects.

First, the transformation and development of our surveying, mapping and geoinformation work has basically formed a new pattern. We have revised the Surveying and Mapping Law, and the Regulations on Map Management, among others, and defined the role of surveying, mapping and geoinformation activities in promoting progress in the economic, national defense, social and eco-environmental fields, as well as safeguarding the security of national geoinformation. We have also formulated and implemented the Outline of the National Medium- and Long-term Plan for Basic Surveying and Mapping (2015-2030), forming a new work pattern in the construction of a new surveying and mapping system, the strategic transformation of basic geoinformation, the sound development of the geoinformation industry and other relevant industries, and security services for surveying, mapping and geoinformation. 

Second, we have continued to improve our capabilities of acquiring basic surveying and mapping data and enhance their support services. We have significantly improved the performance of our homemade satellites to receive remote sensing data. In the past decade, we achieved a breakthrough in obtaining high-resolution images from our domestic satellites. Ten years ago, we had to buy foreign satellites for high-resolution imaging. At present, as a lead user, the MNR alone has 25 domestic satellites in orbit. We now update the 2-meter resolution images of our territory every quarter and the sub-meter resolution images annually. In 2021, we worked out 463,000 images through surveying and mapping. It might not be a familiar concept to the public, but if you see it this way, the areas covered by these surveying and mapping results are 20 times that of our entire territory. The national satellite navigation and positioning system has been fully established to provide centimeter-level real-time navigation and positioning services for the whole society. We can't live without it. These technologies, such as spatio-temporal databases, a new generation of national digital elevation model, and the construction of a real 3D China, and a spatio-temporal big data platform, have provided a unified spatio-temporal database for the construction of a digital China.

Third, the surveying, mapping and geoinformation work has provided solid support for economic and social development. The results of surveying, mapping and geoinformation have greatly supported major national surveys, such as economic censuses, land surveys, censuses on pollution sources, and population censuses, and injected strong impetus to the digital reform of government governance. Spatial data services based on geographical location, navigation, and positioning have greatly boosted the rapid development of new industries such as modern logistics, autonomous driving, and the sharing economy. I would like to share with you a set of figures. The total output of the geoinformation industry increased from 150 billion yuan in 2011 to more than 750 billion yuan in 2021, a four-fold increase in 10 years. Additionally, emergency mapping support, known as the "eye above the disaster area," has played an irreplaceable role in providing a timely and reliable geographical location to verify the disaster situation and organize rescue efforts in a targeted manner. Over the last decade, we have provided support services for more than 200 major natural disasters and public emergencies. After 10 years of efforts, we have basically formed a rapid response mechanism for emergency mapping. Take the earthquake that hit Luding, Sichuan province on Sept. 5 as an example. We provided the command map to the front headquarters within three hours after the earthquake. At the same time, we urgently mobilized 14 satellites to program and record for seven consecutive days. The directional, fixed, and timed shooting has facilitated an updating of the command map in a timely manner during the rescue process. We swiftly sent in drones to acquire radar images of the earthquake area with a resolution of 0.3 meters. For the remote areas, where the roads were interrupted and it was difficult for rescue workers to reach, we acquired high-definition images with a resolution of 0.1 meters, providing timely and precise positioning services for rescue workers and winning valuable time for the rescue work. It goes without saying that this mechanism should be constantly improved on the basis of the present in order to better provide services.

Going forward, we will firmly adhere to the requirements of supporting economic and social development and promoting ecological progress, continuously improve our abilities in surveying, mapping and geoinformation, and make new contributions to building a modern socialist country in all respects. Thank you.

Cover News:

In January this year, President Xi Jinping said at the 2022 World Economic Forum Virtual Session that China is now building the world's most extensive national parks system. What measures will forestry and grassland departments take to this end? Thank you.

Li Chunliang:

Thank you for your attention to the development of national parks. It has been 10 years since the target of establishing a national parks system was first put forward at the Third Plenary Session of the 18th CPC Central Committee in 2013. Over the past decade, General Secretary Xi Jinping has personally planned, deployed, and promoted the development of national parks. He announced the designation of China's first group of national parks and declared that the country is putting in place the world's most extensive national parks system. The NFGA, other relevant departments, local Party committees and governments have earnestly implemented General Secretary Xi's important instructions. We have firmly shouldered the glorious mission and political responsibility entrusted to us by the CPC Central Committee, explored boldly and actively made innovation. It is fair to say that the development of national parks has become the highlight of our forestry and grassland work over the past decade and a bright spot of our endeavor to promote ecological conservation and build a beautiful China. This is reflected in the following five aspects.

First, we have explored a national park development path with Chinese characteristics by piloting the national parks system. Since 2015, China has launched 10 pilot programs for the national parks system, strengthened top-level design, and formulated the principles of "putting ecological protection first, representing the national image, and benefitting the public" for national park development. National parks will be authorized by the central government and jointly developed by the central and local governments. China has accumulated experience in promoting innovation in the management system, ecological conservation, and community integration.

Second, we have achieved notable progress in protecting the ecological environment of the first group of national parks. The Sanjiangyuan National Park covers the source areas of the Yangtze River, Yellow River, and Lancang River. The Giant Panda National Park connects giant panda habitats that initially belonged to 73 nature reserves and 13 metapopulations. And 72% of wild giant pandas in the country have been effectively protected. The Northeast China Tiger and Leopard National Park has facilitated the migration of wild animals. The number of Siberian tigers has topped 50, and the number of Amur leopards has exceeded 60. The function of the rainforest ecosystem in the Hainan Tropical Rainforest National Park has been gradually restored. In the last two years, a Hainan gibbon cub was born and two were monitored in the park, increasing the island's gibbon population to 36 in five families. In the Wuyishan National Park, 14 new species were discovered in the past three years. At the same time, new national parks are being built in an orderly manner, and they will be designated once they are well-established.

Third, we have actively promoted the building of legal and policy systems for national park development. We have issued the Provisional Measures for the Management of National Parks and the Guidelines on the Establishment of National Parks, and launched and enforced five sets of national standards and a series of industry standards. We are soliciting public opinions on the draft law on national parks, and Sept. 19 is the closing date. We welcome your suggestions. In addition, fiscal policy support has been improved for the protection and restoration, ecological compensation, research and monitoring, and science popularization related to national parks.

Fourth, we have coordinated ecological conservation and green development. We have stayed committed to balancing ecological conservation, green development, and better lives. Moreover, we have properly addressed longstanding issues and various challenges arising from the development of national parks. We have enabled local residents to gain tangible benefits while participating in ecological conservation, nature education, and ecotourism development to increase their recognition and sense of belonging in the national parks.

Fifth, we are actively building the world's largest national parks system. As the journalist mentioned, General Secretary Xi said at the 2022 World Economic Forum Virtual Session that China is now putting the world's largest national parks system in place, setting the course for developing national parks. We are formulating a plan for the spatial layout of national parks as part of our efforts to turn the blueprint drawn up by General Secretary Xi into reality. The plan is being formulated with an aim of building the world's largest national parks system with the most diverse ecological and geographical features and the highest value for conservation. We will make a detailed introduction when it is released to the public soon. 

Developing national parks is of vital importance to a nation. What we are doing today will benefit generations to come. This endeavor requires sustained effort and, more importantly, the support of society as a whole. Let's work together to develop our national parks so that our future generations have these precious natural assets, and contribute to building a modern country characterized by harmonious coexistence between man and nature. Thank you.

Shou Xiaoli:

Thank you to all the speakers and friends from the media. Today's press conference is concluded. Goodbye.

Translated and edited by Liu Jianing, Zhang Junmian, Xu Xiaoxuan, Liu Sitong, Zhou Jing, Zhang Rui, Yan Bin, Huang Shan, Yan Xiaoqing, Li Huiru, Qin Qi, Wang Wei, He Shan, Zhang Liying, Ma Yujia, Yang Xi, Wang Qian, Wang Yiming, Yuan Fang, Xu Kailin, David Ball, Jay Birbeck, and Tom Arnstein. In case of any discrepancy between the English and Chinese texts, the Chinese version is deemed to prevail.