20th CPC National Congress: Xi calls for advancing Beautiful China Initiative
Updated 18:47, 07-Feb-2023
Error loading player: No playable sources found

One of the focuses at the ongoing 20th CPC National Congress is ecological civilization – a topic that was mentioned by Xi Jinping in Sunday's report at the opening session. Dai Kaiyi shares some key takeaways on the issue from this year's gathering. 

DAI KAIYI, CGTN Reporter "Mountains, rivers, forests, farmlands, grasslands, and deserts – they are all part of nature, and all part of China's environmental conservation plan. Why do they matter so much to China? And what does conservation mean for the country's future?"

The country's ecological conservation efforts have been in full swing in recent years, in tune with what Xi said when delivering the report on Sunday – that "Respecting, adapting to, and protecting nature is essential for building China into a modern socialist country in all respects." But just how crucial is this task right now?

Well, "green" is one of China's five major development concepts. And "beautiful" is one word – along with prosperous, strong, democratic, culturally advanced and harmonious – used to describe the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation.

In fact, environmental concerns have been elevated to the highest national priority over the past decade. At the 18th CPC National Congress in 2012, the building of an ecological civilization was included in the national five-pronged overall plan. Five years later, at the 19th CPC National Congress , Xi stressed the need to speed up reform of the ecological civilization system in order to build a beautiful China.

Now, once again, the vision is front and center for the country at the 20th CPC National Congress, as Xi called for advancing the Beautiful China Initiative. But this can't be achieved overnight. It's a decades-long process, which means to see progress. China needs a continuity of policies over the long run. But how do we strike a balance between environment and economy?

In 2005, Xi, then Zhejiang Party Secretary, voiced the slogan, "Lucid waters and lush mountains are invaluable assets", suggesting that environmental protection can promote economic development.

People came to realize that natural resources could be used to boost different sectors of society, such as rural tourism and agriculture. This concept has since become a guideline for China's green development. In 2021, China promised to peak carbon emissions by 2030 and reach carbon neutrality by 2060.

XI JINPING, General Secretary of the CPC Central Committee "China will advance initiatives to reach peak carbon emissions in a well-planned and phased way in line with the principle of building the new before discarding the old."

DAI KAIYI, CGTN Reporter "One thing China now understands more than ever – no amount of economic growth is worth the price of environmental degradation. Dai Kaiyi, CGTN, outside the Great Hall of the People."

`