First Look: “Empowering Major Country” – Moving Toward Green and Empowering Through Green

April 3, 2026 Source: People’s Daily Client

“Afforestation is a vital task in building a Beautiful China. We must remain steadfast in our commitment to green development, ground our efforts in the present while keeping a long-term vision, and pass the baton of progress from one generation to the next, ensuring that this undertaking—beneficial to both the nation and the people—is carried out with solid, unwavering dedication.” As countless trees grow into a forest, they stand as a testament to leading by example in the march toward a greener future.

Since the 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China, why has General Secretary Xi Jinping consecutively participated in the capital’s voluntary tree-planting campaign for 14 years?

Having come from the loess plateau, I witnessed the degradation of the ecological environment and the plight of the people living in poverty. “It was then that I realized: harm inflicted upon nature will ultimately harm humanity itself.”

From the perspective of the view of nature, “Chinese civilization has always revered the unity of heaven and humanity and the principle of following the way of nature, striving for harmonious coexistence between humans and nature.”

From the perspective of development, “protecting the ecological environment is to protect productivity, and improving the ecological environment is to develop productivity,” making green development the defining feature of high-quality development.

From the perspective of cooperation, the building of an ecological civilization is vital to the future of humanity: “In the face of ecological and environmental challenges, humanity forms a community with a shared future in which we all prosper together or suffer together; no country can remain unaffected.”

As certainty has become a scarce resource in today’s world, China, as an “enabling major country,” not only infuses inexhaustible momentum into its own modernization but also provides green energy for the sustainable development of our blue planet.

Moving Toward Green, with a Deep Cultural Heritage

Born of nature’s green, it has been imbued with cultural meaning by the passage of time.

In April 2021, in Maozhu Mountain Village, Guangxi, General Secretary Xi Jinping paused again and again before an over-800-year-old jujube tree, saying, “I always feel a deep sense of reverence for trees of such great age.”

Viewing history through the lens of trees, we find that the annual rings bear the footnote of civilization.

Xunzi’s assertion that “when grasses and trees are in full bloom and thriving, axes and hatchets should not enter the mountains and forests, so as not to cut them down prematurely or stifle their growth” embodies the simple yet profound principle of “harvesting at the right time and within reasonable limits.” Guan Zhong’s statement that “when vegetation has taken root and flourished, the state becomes prosperous” encapsulates the ancient wisdom of the dialectical unity of ecological conservation and economic development.

Trees, too, are witnesses to the city’s cultural heritage.

At the Central Urban Work Conference held in July 2025, General Secretary Xi Jinping recounted the story of Zhang Boyu, the prefect of Fuzhou during the Northern Song Dynasty, who championed the policy of “registering households and planting banyan trees.”

During his tenure in Fuzhou, Comrade Xi Jinping personally led the effort to plant banyan trees. In an afterword titled “Let the Banyan Trees Benefit the City of Fuzhou,” he wrote: “Modern cities need greenery to enhance their beauty.”

To safeguard a patch of green shade is to preserve a touch of homesickness. The green footprints left on the soil of culture etch the imprints of thought.

In Zhengding, it all began with the protection of two ancient locust trees at the entrance to the county Party committee compound. Comrade Xi Jinping then organized a countywide survey of ancient trees. In Fujian, he made five field visits to Changting to promote soil and water conservation, even donating and planting a fragrant camphor tree there. Later, in Zhejiang and Shanghai, he consistently emphasized the importance of ecological and environmental work, stating, “I have always attached great importance to this work” and “We must treat it as a major undertaking.”

On January 16, 2019, General Secretary Xi Jinping gazed at the entire landscape of the afforestation area in Zone 1 of the Daqing River Forest Park within the “Millennium Show Forest” of the Xiongan New Area in Hebei Province.

Since the 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China, General Secretary Xi Jinping has proposed the concept of building a “park city” in Chengdu’s Tianfu New Area in Sichuan Province and emphasized “greening first, then urban development” in Xiongan New Area in Hebei Province…

The light of thought illuminates the path ahead. By integrating “green” into the new development philosophy, regarding ecological civilization as a matter of paramount national importance, and upholding the coordinated advancement of “three greens” and the synergistic linkage of the “four repositories,” the underlying character of Chinese modernization has become even more vibrant.

Moving Toward Green: Nurturing a Great Spirit

Ecological issues, one after another, test the government’s performance-oriented mindset.

Illegal construction in the Qinling Mountains once drew widespread public concern. General Secretary Xi Jinping has issued important instructions and directives on six separate occasions.

In April 2020, the General Secretary visited the Niubeiliang National Nature Reserve in the Qinling Mountains, where he stated: “Building an ecological civilization is not about hoarding vast sums of money; it is about acting for the sake of history and for future generations.”

On April 20, 2020, General Secretary Xi Jinping conducted an inspection of ecological conservation in the Qinling Mountains at the Qinling Niubeiliang National Nature Reserve in Zhashui County, Shangluo City, Shaanxi Province.

Ecosystem restoration is never achieved overnight; it requires sustained, long-term effort and the passing of knowledge and practices from one generation to the next.

In Jiange County, Guangyuan, Sichuan Province, the “Cuiyun Corridor” stretches for 300 li and is lined with 100,000 trees.

From the Ming dynasty’s “officials and commoners alike prohibited cutting or felling trees” and the practice of “handing over trees and official seals,” to today’s adherence to ancient practices while establishing new regulations, the “post‑term handover system for protecting ancient cypress trees” now covers nine tiers of responsible officials. The scope of the handover has expanded to include 16 specific indicators across five categories—such as tree growth conditions and the effectiveness of management and conservation—and is now incorporated into post‑term audits of natural resource assets. In this way, ancient and famous trees have become a benchmark for evaluating officials’ performance and their approach to governance.

“Rather than seeking quick, visible achievements that yield immediate results, we should strive to create enduring, hidden accomplishments that benefit future generations”—this is the correct view of political performance held by Communists. Look across the land: Jiao Yulu’s paulownia trees, Gu Wenchang’s casuarinas, and Yang Shanzhou’s cedars have taken root across our vast rivers and mountains, allowing a spirit of indomitable resilience to flourish on this very soil.

At the founding of the People’s Republic of China, the national forest coverage rate was only 8.6%. By 2025, China’s forest coverage had risen to 25.09%, with combined forest and grassland coverage exceeding 56% and total forest stock reaching 20.988 billion cubic meters.

From “sand advances, people retreat” to “green advances, sand retreats”—in the continuous march of greenery, we witness the power of the human spirit.

The builders of the Saihanba Mechanized Forest Farm persevered through hardship and selflessly dedicated themselves, ultimately transforming a desolate wasteland into a vast sea of forests; the General Secretary noted that their story is profoundly moving. Similarly, the “Six Old Men” of the Babusha Forest Farm refused to yield in the face of adversity and boldly set out to turn the desert into an oasis; the General Secretary stated that the new era calls for more contemporary Yu Gongs and role models of our time like the “Six Old Men.”

The Right Jade Spirit, the Saihanba Spirit, the Three-North Spirit… “Advancing ecological civilization requires both material resources and spiritual strength.”

On July 15, 2019, General Secretary Xi Jinping visited the Ma’anshan Forest Farm in Kalaqin Banner, Chifeng City, Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, to learn about progress in ecological civilization development.

Moving Toward Green: Empowering with Technological Innovation

The key to Chinese modernization lies in the modernization of science and technology, and technological innovation is the crucial pillar underpinning the building of a Beautiful China.

Scientific sand control and desertification management: writing a new green legend.

On the fringes of the Taklamakan Desert, a multi-pronged approach combining engineering projects, photovoltaic power generation, and biological sand control has transformed the vast sea of sand into an “blue ocean” of energy.

Fast forward to November 28, 2024: the 285-kilometer gap along the edge of the desert has been successfully sealed, completing the world’s longest sand-control barrier—a 3,046-kilometer ring around the desert. By 2025, an additional 9.3822 million mu of land had been incorporated into the project, expanding the width of the sealed zone from 110 meters to as much as 7,500 meters, making the desert’s “green scarf” ever denser and more robust.

Behind this green miracle lies technological advancement. As robots take over the task of planting trees from human laborers and automated machinery replaces traditional grass-grid sand-fixation systems with mechanized sand barriers, scientific and technological innovation is helping to build a “Green Great Wall” for sand control and desertification prevention.

Transforming ecological value to foster a deep sense of green well-being.

Lucid waters and lush mountains are both natural assets and economic assets. In Anji, Zhejiang Province, the digital and intelligent application of bamboo forest carbon sinks has established a fully automated, closed-loop system that integrates land transfer, carbon sink collection and storage, base-level operations, platform-based trading, and revenue reinvestment—turning “bamboo forest air” into hard cash and creating a “green ledger” that vividly demonstrates that as long as we cherish and protect our green mountains, they will in turn reward us in kind.

Accelerate transformation and development to enhance the “green content” of the economy.

New-quality productive forces are, in essence, green productive forces. At present, China has built the world’s largest and fastest-growing renewable energy system, with green electricity accounting for nearly 40% of total electricity consumption across society. In the Ecological and Environmental Code, “green and low-carbon development” is enshrined as a separate section, thereby providing stable institutional expectations for the green transition.

Moving Toward Green: Building a Beautiful World Together

In diplomatic settings, green symbolizes friendship.

In May 2023, at the eastern starting point of the ancient Silk Road, President Xi Jinping and the heads of state of the five Central Asian countries jointly planted six pomegranate trees.

From launching the China–Central Asia Green and Low-Carbon Development Initiative to deepen cooperation in green development and climate change response, to jointly advancing a series of green development projects, the potential for collaboration continues to unfold, injecting vibrant momentum into the building of a closer China–Central Asia community with a shared future.

On May 19, 2023, following the conclusion of the inaugural China–Central Asia Summit, President Xi Jinping and the heads of state of the five Central Asian countries jointly planted six pomegranate trees.

Looking inward, “China is a steadfast practitioner and significant contributor to global green development.” Since the 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China, China’s forest area and timber stock have both continued to grow, while the areas affected by desertification and land degradation have both continued to shrink, making blue skies, green lands, and clear waters the new normal.

Looking outward, China—now the world’s fastest and largest contributor to global greening—is leveraging “inclusive technology” to drive the global green transition. In 2025, China’s exports shifted toward new and higher-quality products, with exports of high-tech goods rising by 13.2% and exports of the “new three major” product categories surging by 27.1%. During the 14th Five-Year Plan period, China’s cumulative exports of wind and photovoltaic equipment helped other countries reduce carbon emissions by approximately 4.1 billion tonnes. “China—and the Chinese people—have made an indispensable contribution to greening the planet and mitigating global climate change.”

Building a green home is a shared dream of humanity.

From advancing a Chinese path to modernization that fosters harmonious coexistence between humanity and nature, to jointly building a green Belt and Road Initiative, and to working together to forge a community with a shared future for life on Earth, an open China has not only benefited itself but also delivered tangible benefits to the international community, marking a major transformation from a participant in global environmental governance to a leader in this field.

In the inaugural year of the 15th Five-Year Plan, we are moving toward green development and harnessing green growth to empower both our nation and the world—empowering the present while paving the way for the future.

This is the stewardship of our shared planetary home by a responsible major country, as well as the embodiment of knowledge and action in a “capacity-empowering major country.”

Planning: Du Shangze, Wang Binlai

Written by: Kwong Sai-hei

Design: Wang Weijia

Editor-in-charge: Fan Guangling