Shou Xiaoli:

The last question, please.

Cover News:

This spring, northern China experienced large-scale sand and dust weather, significantly affecting the country's air quality. According to the data, the sand and dust primarily originated from outside China. What efforts have been made in environmental cooperation with the relevant countries, and what are the future plans? Thank you.

Luo Zhaohui:

You've raised excellent questions, all closely related to the quality of people's lives. This spring, everyone felt as though the sand and dust weather, which we hadn't seen for many years, had come back again. In fact, we have been practicing Xi Jinping Thought on Ecological Civilization and have made notable progress in expanding afforestation and curbing desertification. Therefore, experts generally believe that the sandstorm reemerging in northern China this spring originated from outside China. When the leaders of Mongolia visited China at the end of last year, they sincerely proposed that they hoped China could support their "Plant a Billion Trees" Plan. They received an immediate positive response from Chinese leaders. China and Mongolia have long been friendly neighbors. During the fight against COVID-19, Mongolia offered a donation of sheep to China, and China reciprocated with tea, which has become a widely shared touching story. Mongolia, China, and Japan, as well as South Korea in Northeast Asia, are all victims of desertification. Therefore, desertification control and afforestation serve the current and long-term interests of all countries in the region and their people, and conform to our commitment to the United Nations Convention on the Prevention and Control of Desertification and Xi Jinping Thought on Ecological Civilization. Therefore, within a short time, the CIDCA arranged for the Mongolian delegation to visit Ningxia and Inner Mongolia to learn about expanding afforestation and curbing desertification. Last month, the CIDCA and the National Forestry and Grassland Administration formed a group to visit Mongolia, signed a framework document on desertification control and afforestation cooperation, and attended the unveiling ceremony for the China-Mongolia Desertification Prevention and Control Cooperation Center. Decisions were made to construct three ecological protection and restoration demonstration areas and seven monitoring stations for sandstorm prevention and control, and to carry out 10 sessions of training programs, with the first session completed recently.

Indeed, for flagship projects in ecological conservation and restoration jointly initiated by China and Mongolia, the efforts of Mongolia alone are not enough; cooperation between China and Mongolia, as well as the collective efforts of neighboring countries and relevant U.N. agencies, are indispensable. We always say that solving cross-border issues requires multinational cooperation. In the past, Japan and South Korea have engaged in tripartite cooperation in the Gobi Desert region in the southern part of Mongolia. When I visited Mongolia in September this year, representatives from the UNDP, IFAD, and international financial institutions such as the AIIB were all present, and they all showed great interest and enthusiasm in assisting Mongolia with desertification control and afforestation.

Next, we will act upon the important consensus reached between our two presidents, as well as the consensus on specific cooperation between the two sides, and act promptly to keep our skies blue. Thank you!

Shou Xiaoli:

Thanks to Mr. Luo and all the speakers, as well as the participation of friends from the media. Today's briefing is hereby concluded. Goodbye!

Translated and edited by Zhang Rui, Wang Wei, Cui Can, Zhou Jing, Liu Sitong, Lin Liyao, Wang Yanfang, Mi Xingang, Huang Shan, Yan Xiaoqing, He Shan, Wang Qian, Xu Kailin, Li Huiru, David Ball, Tom Arnsten, and Jay Birbeck. In case of any discrepancy between the English and Chinese texts, the Chinese version is deemed to prevail.