Building an ecological civilization is crucial for the future of humanity, and creating a green home is a common dream of all mankind. China prioritizes its development. Guided by Xi Jinping's ideas on ecological civilization, China, on the one hand, strives to build a 'Beautiful China', and on the other hand, actively participates in global environmental governance, sharing with the world 'Chinese wisdom' in preserving clean waters and green mountains, and making a significant contribution to jointly building a beautiful home for all mankind.
China is an implementer of ecological civilization construction. The traditional model of industrialization, while creating material goods, simultaneously disrupted the balance of ecosystems. Faced with this problem, China promoted the harmonious coexistence of man and nature as one of the essential requirements of Chinese modernization. Adhering to a people-centered development concept, China put forward a number of new concepts, ideas and strategies, resulting in the formation of Xi Jinping's ideas on ecological civilization. The vivid statement of Chinese President Xi Jinping that 'clean waters and green mountains are gold and silver mountains' is the core concept of ecological civilization construction in China. It shattered the myth of a contradiction between environmental protection and economic development, revealing the pattern that a favorable ecological environment has unlimited economic potential, can continuously bring comprehensive benefits and ensure sustainable socio-economic development. China categorically refuses to follow the old path of Western countries based on the principle of 'pollute first, then clean up', and firmly follows the course of high-quality development, giving priority to ecology, as well as green and low-carbon growth. During the 14th Five-Year Plan period, China created the world's largest clean electricity supply system, the largest global renewable energy system, and the world's largest carbon emissions trading market. The proportion of surface water sections with excellent and good quality across the country exceeded 90%, the forest coverage rate increased to more than 25%, and the proportion of days with good air quality in cities at the prefecture level and above is stably maintained at about 87%. 90% of terrestrial ecosystem types are covered by effective protection. The 'green report card' of Chinese modernization looks extremely impressive. As the largest developing country in the world, China solemnly promised the international community to achieve peak carbon emissions before 2030 and carbon neutrality before 2060, demonstrating the sense of duty and responsibility of a major power.
China is a participant in ecological civilization construction. It comprehensively and effectively implements the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, and actively promoted the achievement, signing, entry into force and implementation of the Paris Agreement. China was one of the first countries to sign and ratify the Convention on Biological Diversity and is the largest donor to the core budget of the Convention and its protocols. It also successfully promoted the adoption of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework and was the first to allocate 1.5 billion yuan to establish the Kunming Biodiversity Fund. Adhering to the principle of 'common but differentiated responsibilities', China advocates taking into account the interests of both climate governance and the right to development, actively defending the interests of a wide range of developing countries. China resolutely opposes unilateralism and 'green barriers', strives to deepen South-South cooperation and promote the establishment of a fair and rational global climate governance system. As of October 2025, China has signed 55 memorandums of understanding on South-South cooperation on climate change with 43 developing countries, and has provided and mobilized project financing of 177 billion yuan to support developing countries in combating climate change. China announced its refusal to build new coal-fired power plants abroad and firmly adheres to the course of jointly building the 'Green Silk Road'. At the China-Central Asia Summit held in 2025, all parties unanimously supported the creation of a China-Central Asia Cooperation Center for Combating Desertification, which continues to make a significant contribution to solving the problem of desertification.
China is a leader in ecological civilization construction. Recently, at the 4th session of the 14th National People's Congress, the 'Ecological Code of the PRC' was adopted. This means that environmental protection in our country has entered an era of 'codification', and marks the entry of the construction of a Beautiful China into a new stage of legal formalization. The 'Ecological Code' is China's second law with the word 'code' in its title. Its spiritual core is based on Xi Jinping's ideas on ecological civilization; it is entrusted with the important mission of protecting clean waters and green mountains, and lays a solid ecological foundation for the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation. The 'Draft of the 15th Five-Year Plan of the PRC' clearly defines that 'achieving new major successes in the construction of a Beautiful China' is one of the main goals of socio-economic development during the 15th Five-Year Plan period; at the same time, measures to 'accelerate the comprehensive green transition of socio-economic development and build a Beautiful China' are separately outlined. During the 15th Five-Year Plan period, green development will become a bright characteristic of Chinese modernization, and China will continue to promote the transition of economic growth to a green and low-carbon format, achieving new breakthroughs in modernization based on the harmonious coexistence of man and nature.
On April 22, Kazakhstan will hold the first Regional Environmental Summit, which will become an important platform for countries to consolidate consensus on green development and jointly discuss large-scale plans for environmental governance, reflecting Kazakhstan's responsibility in regional and global environmental governance. China and Kazakhstan, as participants in the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change and other important international environmental agreements, have in recent years been implementing diverse bilateral and multilateral cooperation and can rightfully be considered fellow travelers on the path of green transition. Currently, practical cooperation between China and Kazakhstan is constantly expanding, going beyond traditional areas and covering new directions, including clean energy, water-saving irrigation, combating desertification, green technologies and investments. Just this year, wind power plants with a capacity of 1 GW with an energy storage system in the Pavlodar region and the 'Mirny' wind farm with a capacity of 1 GW were launched, and the first AEM hydrogen production and storage system of the Central Asian Hydrogen Energy Innovation Center under the 'Belt and Road' initiative was officially put into operation. Looking ahead, China-Kazakhstan 'green cooperation' will undoubtedly unleash powerful vitality and energy, giving a strong impetus to bringing mutually beneficial comprehensive cooperation between the two countries to a new level.
The Earth is the only home on which the survival of humanity depends, and to carefully preserve and protect it is the only choice of humanity. Faced with environmental challenges, humanity represents a community of common destiny, in which all either prosper together or suffer losses together, and no one can stand aside. Only if the whole world unites its efforts, is ready for cooperation, takes real measures and implements practical steps to protect our common earthly home, can humanity survive and develop, and civilization continue and flourish. As a responsible major power, China is ready, together with all countries, including Kazakhstan, in a spirit of mutual assistance, to go hand in hand, actively counter global environmental challenges, build a community of life on Earth and make unremitting efforts to create a clean and beautiful world!
Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary Ambassador of the PRC to the Republic of Kazakhstan Han Chunlin
Photo: Freepik
