CPPCC Chairman Meets Japanese Delegation

CPPCC Leader Meets Japanese Delegation

Senior Chinese leader Li Ruihuan, met Sunday with a Japanese parliamentary (Diet) delegation.

Li, a Standing Committee member of the political Bureau of the Communist Party of China (CPC) and chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), is also honorary chairman of the Green China Foundation.

The delegation, consisting of members from the association of Diet league for Japan-China green cooperation, was headed by Nonaka Hiromu, secretary-general of the Japanese Liberal Democratic Party.

The delegation, together with hundreds of Chinese youth, attended the afforestation initiation ceremony in a suburban village of Beijing this morning.

Non-governmental cooperation between China and Japan in afforestation was decided upon by Chinese President Jiang Zemin and late Japanese Prime Minister Keizo Obuchi. A working committee in this sector was set up in March this year.

Li extended a warm welcome to the delegation and expressed the conviction that cooperation in afforestation would undoubtedly push forward the continuous development of bilateral ties.

Li pointed out that it is the common responsibility of mankind to expedite afforestation, improve the ecological environment and realize sustainable development.

Due to long-term exploitation of forests, a series of ecological and environmental problems have arisen, posing serious challenge to the existence and development of mankind, he said, stressing afforestation has become a strategic issue of global concern.

He said that China and Japan are two close neighbors under the same sky. With the sea waters flowing to and fro in spite of the boundary line and the air circulating in an out with no need of a visa, China and Japan are closely related in terms of environmental problems.

The Chinese government attaches great importance to afforestation, ecological environment and the sustainable development of the country, and the Chinese government and people would make unremitting efforts to further improve the environment, he said.

Hiromu said that to reinforce afforestation cooperation between Japan and China is not only conducive to the ecological environment of the two countries, but is also beneficial to all human beings on the earth, and such cooperation should be strengthened.