The Earth's ecosystems form an inseparable whole and only a future in which humans live in harmony with nature can be a truly prosperous one. Everyone has a responsibility to protect the Earth and each of us has a duty to contribute to its sustainable development.

On December 12, 2020, Chinese President Xi Jinping cited the ancient Chinese quote "the universe operates in silence, yet everything follows its course" while addressing the Climate Ambition Summit convened by the United Nations. In his speech, he stressed that the Earth is our one and only shared home. People should build on past achievements, work together to make steady progress in implementing the Paris Agreement (a pact reached by nearly 200 nations in 2015 to address climate change and its negative impacts—Ed.) and launch a new journey for global climate action.

The quote comes from A Letter to Pei Kuan in Anzhou by Li Bai (701-762), one of the greatest poets in Chinese history, and means that even though Heaven remains silent, the seasons still change, following its natural order. And though the Earth does not speak, all living things continue to thrive and multiply under its quiet guidance. It is a metaphor for the laws of nature—meaning that everything in the universe operates according to its own inherent principles, independent of human will.

As a responsible major country, China has consistently demonstrated its commitment with concrete actions. Through sustained afforestation efforts, it has become the world's largest contributor to artificial forest growth, with model projects like the world's largest human-made forest in Saihanba, Hebei Province, contributing to this achievement. In 2024, China planted 4.45 million hectares of trees, raising the country's forest coverage to over 25 percent of its total land area, with total forest stock volume exceeding 20 billion cubic meters.

The nation has actively promoted wetland conservation and restoration, establishing more than 2,200 wetland nature reserves and greatly improving key wetland ecosystems. The Sanjiangyuan region, dubbed "the water tower of China," where the Yangtze, Yellow and Lancang rivers originate, has become a nationally representative and globally influential nature reserve system model.

Desertification control has also seen remarkable success. China's largest, and the world's second-largest, shifting sand desert, the Taklimakan, has been effectively contained, with its borders sealed and no longer expanding. The desert, known as the "Sea of Death," has been encircled with a sand-blocking green belt stretching 3,046 km.

And there are many more such examples.

The Chinese Government has guided society at large to embrace an approach to ecological civilization that respects nature, follows its ways and protects it. The government promotes green and low-carbon lifestyles and advocates for a new vision of green, open, circular and eco-friendly development.

The country has also applied a system of ecological conservation red lines to identify its crucial ecological zones and enforce strict protection in these areas. Furthermore, China has adhered to a holistic and systematic approach to conserving and improving mountain, water, forest, farmland, grassland and desert ecosystems. By following the Earth's ecological laws, it continues to help protect the planet and improve the environment.

The universe operates in silence, yet everything follows its course. In this vast universe, the Earth tells the greatest story of birth and growth in a silent way. Protecting the Earth and its ecosystems is more than a responsibility—it is a return to harmony with the very source of life.

Copyedited by Elsbeth van Paridon

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