Xi Jinping urges nationwide participation in tree plantation to build 'Beautiful China'

BEIJING: Chinese President Xi Jinping on Monday called on the entire society to actively engage in afforestation, stressing that a healthy ecological environment benefits everyone and requires collective effort.

Xi, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, made the remarks while participating in a voluntary tree-planting activity in Changping District, Beijing.

Accompanied by top leaders including Li Qiang, Zhao Leji, Wang Huning, Cai Qi, Ding Xuexiang, and Li Xi, Xi greeted the crowd before planting multiple types of saplings. During the activity, he interacted with children about their studies, daily lives, involvement in labor and sports, and participation in tree-planting, emphasizing the importance of setting ambitious goals, loving learning, work, and nature, and becoming pillars of society.

Xi noted that China has achieved sustained increases in forest area and stock volume, along with reductions in desertified and sandy lands, making it the country with the largest and fastest-growing greening globally. He praised the Ecological and Environmental Code adopted in March, which strengthens the legal framework for building a “Beautiful China.”

Highlighting afforestation as a key task under the first year of the 15th Five-Year Plan (2026–2030) and the 45th anniversary of the nationwide voluntary tree-planting campaign, Xi called for efforts that focus on improving quality, developing related industries, and delivering tangible benefits to the people.

He further emphasized promoting ecological product value, and coordinating urban and rural greening initiatives, urging sustained, solid action to advance China’s environmental and afforestation goals.