UNEP chief hails 'beautiful China' concept

Chinese leaders' determination to build a harmonious society and a "beautiful China" indicates the country's rethinking of the relationship between economy and environment, the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) chief has said.

Instead of believing that the economy and environment are obstructing each other, China has realized that they are enabling each other, said UNEP Executive Director Achim Steiner in an exclusive interview with Xinhua on Friday.

His comments came shortly after the UNEP presented Xinhua News Agency's president with an award for Xinhua's work in promoting environmental issues.

Over the last 20 years, China has shown that it is able to arrest the trend of securing economic development at the expense of the environment, according to Steiner.

Chinese leaders, experts and citizens have recognized that environmental challenges have great significance, and for years the country has been working to address them and reverse the trend, he said.

A report to the 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China (CPC) last month emphasized the importance of ecological progress and advocated the building of a "beautiful China" in the country's development plan.

The fact that China places ecological progress at the center in addressing its future direction and is beginning to build a pathway toward "beautiful China" reveal that the country will further develop its economy based on environmental sustainability and green improvement, not only in cities, but also in its less-developed western rural areas, Steiner said.

The UNEP chief believes that the congress expressed China's significant and systematic orientation toward achieving transition to a green economy, something that other countries have taken much longer to do, or perhaps not even begun.

He further called on governments and members of the public around the world to take immediate action to make the low-carbon economy a reality.

For China, Steiner said, a priority issue is to deal with pollution, as blue skies are an important element of a "beautiful China."

He stressed the transition in energy sectors toward cleaner production, such as renewable energy and fossil fuel power stations.

"Industries and enterprises should be part of our efforts to not allow pollution to be an inevitable part of industrialization," Steiner urged.

He also called for more efforts to protect the ecological system, river basins, forests and wetlands in China.

Steiner noted that China has been increasing forest coverage in the country, which is remarkable among Asian countries, and that its investment in public infrastructure and transport to protect the environment is unprecedented.

He also expressed his appreciation for "far-reaching" cooperation between the UNEP and China in scientific, technological and empirical fields and expressed his hope that it can be intensified.

The UNEP on Friday presented its first award of "Excellence and Leadership in Media and Environment" to Li Congjun, president of Xinhua News Agency, "in recognition of the contribution in raising awareness and encouraging actions in caring for the environment by inspiring, informing and enabling nations and peoples to improve their quality of life without compromising that of future generations."

Steiner said the media can help raise awareness of the urgency of environmental protection among the public.