Green revolution on high altitude

For Bhattarai, the biggest change, compared with his previous trip to China in 2018, is that the country has become "greener" thanks to effective pollution control and better environmental protection. "For example," he said, "in Qinghai, alternative, clean energy is being used to improve the environment."

As Qinghai endeavors to build itself into a national ecological conservation highland, it is vigorously transforming its rich natural resources such as wind, sunlight and water into sources of economic benefits. In Gonghe county of Qinghai's Hainan Tibetan autonomous prefecture, for example, there is a solar photovoltaic industrial park with the largest PV power generation capacity in the world. The park can generate 10 billion kWh of electricity a year on average.

Standing on a watchtower in the park and taking in the spectacular view, Jamoliddin Meliboev, vice-chairman of the Movement of Entrepreneurs and Businessmen of the Liberal Democratic Party of Uzbekistan, marveled at the vast expanse of solar panels glittering in the sunlight.

The panels cover more than 300 square kilometers in an area that once faced intense desertification but is now covered with grass. "I was deeply impressed by how the local government has developed the PV industry without bringing harm to the environment; it has even helped improve the ecology," he said.

The installment of the solar panels has helped reduce the average wind speed in the park by about 40 percent, and increased the moisture in the soil 20 centimeters below the surface by nearly 30 percent.

Moreover, herdsmen living nearby are allowed to graze their sheep among the PV panels, which saves the park the trouble of making arrangements for manual weeding. It's an arrangement that benefits both the park and herdsmen.

"When I return to Uzbekistan, I will share my observations on this trip with the authorities and work to promote cooperation between my country and China in ecological conservation and other areas," Meliboev said.