China calls for intl green efforts

China on Saturday called for improving international cooperation to build an ecological civilization and pledged to make its contribution based on the principle of "common but differentiated responsibilities".

A green and sustainable economy has become an inevitable trend in the world and countries need to join hands to address the same issue of "what kind of Earth we will leave for our children", said top Chinese political adviser Yu Zhengsheng.

Yu, chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, made the remarks at the opening ceremony of the second annual conference of the World Cultural Forum (Taihu, China) held in Hangzhou, Zhejiang province.

Top Chinese political advisor Yu Zhengsheng makes a speech at the second annual conference of the World Cultural Forum (Taihu, China) in Hangzhou, Zhejiang province, May 18, 2013. [Photo/Xinhua]

The conference, initiated by China in 2008, is a high-level non-governmental cultural forum. More than 500 guests, including politicians and scholars from home and abroad, participated at this year's conference themed "strengthen international cooperation for ecological civilization".

To achieve the goal of a "beautiful" China, Yu urged the increasing awareness of ecological civilization, the establishment of mechanisms related to incentives and punishment, active involvement of the whole society and global partnership to promote the cause.

In former Chinese president Hu Jintao's keynote report to the 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China November, the then country's top leader emphasized the importance of ecological progress and for the first time, wrote about the building of a "beautiful" China in the nation's overall development plan.

According to the country's five-year plan released in 2012, China will promote the energy-saving and environmental protection industry. This is expected to provide more than $315 billion in investment opportunities over the following five years for its energy-saving sector.

Yu called on the international community to shoulder the responsibility of environmental protection and be more inclusive to achieve a win-win result in environmental protection. But he also noted there is no "one-size-fit-all" model for ecological civilization because of different national conditions.

"We should continue following the spirit of partnership and the principle of 'common but differentiated responsibilities'," he said.

For instance, developing countries need to implement strategies of sustainable development and join international environment campaigns, while developed countries should keep up their commitment, change the model of consumption and production and take concrete measures to help developing countries attain sustainable development, he said.

Mozambican President Armando Guebuza, who also attended the forum, said China will play a bigger role in the international community with its growing attention to an ecological civilization.

African countries, including Mozambique, have been receiving a lot of support from China, which showed a major power's responsibility over global environmental protection, said Guebuza. He added his country can still gain experience from China's economic transition, cultural protection and road and park construction in cities.

"We will continue consolidating cooperation with China, which has a strategic significance for us," he said.