China has planted over 68 million hectares of new forests over the past 10 years, ranking first in the world in terms of newly planted forest area.

The country has long emphasized the importance of ecological protection and afforestation, with President Xi Jinping leading by example when he planted a white-barked pine at Beijing Garden Expo Park in 2013 during the first voluntary tree planting activity after the 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China (CPC).

That small sampling has now grown into a six-meter tall tree.

"Over the past 10 years, we have continued to plant trees and protect forests, effectively improving the ecological environment, with a green coverage rate of over 95 percent. The Garden Expo Park has become a new place for Beijing residents and tourists to get close to nature and enjoy their leisure time," said Li Ran, director of the greening department of the Park's management center.

China has a forest area of 231 million hectares, with a forest coverage rate of 24.02 percent. It also has 265 million hectares of grassland, with a comprehensive grassland vegetation coverage of 50.32 percent, according to the latest data released by the national afforestation committee.

Over the past decade, China has been protecting natural forests, returning farmland to forestry and grassland and cultivating shelter forests in its northern regions.

China has planted over 923,000 hectares of new forest so far this year, accounting for a quarter of the annual planned total.

China is implementing a total of 98 ecological protection and restoration projects in key areas, as well as 25 pilot new forest projects this year in efforts to better conserve mountain, river, forest, farmland, lake, grassland and sand systems.

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