China, nations cooperating on biodiversity conservation

China has carried out biodiversity conservation cooperation with other developing nations to the best of its ability, an official with the Ministry of Ecology and Environment said.

Zhou Guomei, head of the ministry's department of international corporation, made the remark in a news conference on Monday.

Under the mechanism of South-South cooperation, China has established multiple cooperation centers with developing economies, and these centers have rolled out a series of projects on biodiversity conservation, according to the official.

China, for example, has established a center for Lancang-Mekong environmental cooperation and has hosted regular roundtable meetings with a focus on ecosystem management and biodiversity conservation, she said.

The Mekong River, known as the Lancang River in China, is a vital waterway that stretches across China, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand, Cambodia and Vietnam.

Zhou said China and members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations have launched and implemented a number of cooperation initiatives, including the China-ASEAN Cooperation Plan on Biodiversity and Ecological Conservation, and the Core Environment Program and Biodiversity Conservation Corridors Initiative in the Greater Mekong Subregion.

The two cooperation programs have seen "fruitful results in biodiversity conservation, corridor planning and management, as well as community livelihood improvement", she said.

The China-Laos biodiversity reserve has reached 200,000 hectares, Zhou said, adding the reserve has created an instructive mechanism that effectively protects rare and endangered species, such as Asian elephants, and their habitats.

The Sino-Africa Joint Research Center of Chinese Academy of Sciences, which was set up in 2013 Nairobi, Kenya, has cultivated over 200 African graduates in the field of biodiversity conservation and utilization, she said.

Zhou also highlighted China's efforts in promoting biodiversity conservation in Chinese companies' overseas operations.

She said China has introduced a guideline on advancing the green development of the Belt and Road Initiative and a guideline on ecological and environmental protection of the country's overseas investments and construction projects, asking Chinese companies to adhere to a green and low-carbon philosophy.

In the construction of the Mombasa–Nairobi Standard Gauge Railway in Kenya, for example, the Chinese contractor constructed corridors for large animals as well as bridges and culverts to guarantee the free migration of wild animals throughout the route of the 480-kilometer railway, she said.

"China is willing to continue to support the biodiversity conservation efforts of other developing countries via the Belt and Road Initiative and South-South cooperation, in a move to contribute Chinese wisdom and solutions for the building of a shared future for all life on Earth that features harmony between humanity and nature," she said.