Xinhua News Agency:

When it comes to Heilongjiang province, people will think of the Greater and Lesser Xing'an Mountains as well as some large rivers such as the Songhua River and the Wusuli River. The province boasts very rich ecological resources. My question is: Over the last few years, what is the situation with ecological and environmental protection in Heilongjiang? Thank you.

Liang Huiling:

Thank you for your attention to this matter. I will invite Mr. Yu to answer your question.

Yu Jian:

Indeed as you said, located in the northernmost and easternmost part of our motherland, Heilongjiang boasts a vast territory, beautiful mountains and rivers, a pleasant eco-environment and distinct seasons. The province remains as determined as ever to pursue green development that prioritizes environmental conservation and adheres to build ecological security shields in northern China. Our work mainly focuses on three aspects. First, we consider ecological resources as the strongest foundation for development. We have taken a holistic and systematic approach to the conservation and improvement of mountain, water, forest, farmland, grassland and desert ecosystems and strived to enhance the diversity, stability and sustainability of the ecosystem. The forest area in Heilongjiang hits 201,200 square kilometers; its wetland area reaches 51,400 square kilometers; and there are 46 national nature reserves in the province. All the numbers rank among the top in the country. Second, we take a beautiful environment as the most inclusive benefit to people's wellbeing. We have given greater priority to keeping our skies blue, waters clear and lands clean. The evaluation results of Heilongjiang's pollution prevention and control work have been among the best nationwide for many consecutive years, showing continued improvement in the environment. The province recorded good or excellent air quality on 94.2% of the days in 2023, 7.4 percentage points higher than the national average. The average annual concentration of PM2.5 stood at 25.5 micrograms per cubic meter, 4.5 micrograms lower than the national average. Our people now enjoy more blue skies, clearer waters, lush mountains, and a growing sense of happiness brought by a healthy environment. Third, we take ecological values as the most enduring competitive edge. Under the premise of protection, we have vigorously developed industries involving eco-tourism, non-timber forest-based economy , health and convalescence tourism, and forest food, so as to promote ecological product value conversion and to constantly translate ecological strengths into development strengths.

For the next step, we will further coordinate the structuring of ecological conditions, industries and residents' livelihood, going all out to build a green Heilongjiang to safeguard national ecological security and to strive to make positive contributions in advancing the Beautiful China Initiative. We will make every effort to safeguard green ecology, to advance pollution prevention and control work, to timely address environmental pollution cases that occur at people's doorsteps and to continue improving the environment, so that people in Heilongjiang will enjoy more blue skies, lush mountains, clear waters and clean air. To promote green development, we will make concerted efforts to cut carbon emissions, reduce pollution, expand green areas, and boost economic growth. We will also build and improve a green, low-carbon and circular economic system, and promote green transition in all respects of economic and social development. Moreover, we will focus on building green homes by advocating green ways of living including green travel, water and electricity conservation, and an "empty plate" campaign. We will also encourage low-carbon, green consumption, improve energy-saving and environmental protection facilities as well as build a modern Heilongjiang featuring a beautiful environment, a developed green economy, and low-carbon ways of production and living. Thank you!