BEIJING, April 30 (Xinhua) -- The International Horticultural Exhibition 2019 Beijing opened on Sunday evening, while Chinese President Xi Jinping delivered an important speech at the opening ceremony, calling for jointly building a foundation of ecological civilization and taking the path of green development, which arouses positive echoes in the international community.

Bernard Oosterom, president of the International Association of Horticultural Producers, said: "I firmly believe that this Expo will bring the attention of the world to what China is doing to help the environment and improve the lives of citizens, using plants, nature and landscape."

Vicente Gonzalez Loscertales, secretary general of the Bureau of International Expositions (BIE), was deeply touched by the green lifestyles, environment protection awareness, among others, which Xi advocated in his speech.

The whole world has witnessed that the Chinese government takes the environment issue as its task of priority and has scored great success in this hard battle, said the head of the BIE.

Rana Athar Javed, director of independent think tank Pakistan House, said that Xi has pointed out in his speech that harmony between human beings and nature as well as the maintenance of the overall ecological balance of the Earth should be pursued. Javed noted that actually China has already done these in practice.

Adhere Cavince, a Kenyan expert on China-Africa relations, said that China's determination to build a safe, livable and sustainable ecological system in the 21st century is once again felt through Xi's speech at the opening ceremony of the Beijing expo.

Today, the world has realized that China is integrating the green, sustainable environment spirit into the Belt and Road Initiative, which will make the initiative more popular around the world.

Louay Qaddoumi, managing director of Qatar's English language newspaper Qatar Tribune, said that Xi's speech at the opening ceremony of the Beijing expo called for the people around the world to join hands to improve ecological environment, maintain the overall ecological balance of the Earth, tackle global environment issues, showing that China is a responsible major country which values maintaining global ecological environment when it develops its economy.

"I totally agree with President Xi's speech," said Yves Sangwa, CEO of Rwanda Green Building Organization, a NGO set up to steer green urbanization in Rwanda.

"Cooperation is key in mitigation of climate change, reduction of greenhouse gas emission and realization of UN SDGs. This international horticultural exhibition is a good platform to exchange knowledge and innovations," said Sangwa.