China on Tuesday made clear the some guidelines concerning
Chinese enterprises planning to engage in overseas forest
cultivation activities, the first such rules in the world.
The Guidelines on Sustainable Management of Overseas Forests for
Chinese Enterprises were jointly designed by the State Forestry
Administration (SFA) and the Ministry of Commerce, according to the
SFA.
Jia Zhibang, head of the SFA, said the Chinese government would
be fully behind domestic enterprises wishing to carry out forest
cultivation activities in foreign countries so long as these would
be carried out in a manner that highlights sustainability,
bio-diversity and the development of local communities.
The purpose of the move is to provide a framework for
enterprises that will help countries or regions afflicted by tough
forest restoration and to help the livelihoods of local residents,
Jia said.
China will cooperate with international organizations in
implementing pilot programs that will help clarify and improve
these guidelines and cement them as a key basis upon which to
evaluate and supervise the performances of relevant enterprises, he
said.
China has been active and successful in forest cultivation both
at home and abroad. The country's artificial afforestation has
reached 53.65 million hectares, the highest level in the world,
according to latest statistics.
So far, Chinese enterprises have invested more than 500 million
yuan (US$66.19 million) in Southeast Asian nation as part of a UN
drug-plant replacement program, according to Jia.
Fully 40 thousand hectares of forests and crops have been grown
with the assistance of Chinese enterprises in those countries, said
Jia, adding that the activities also contributed to local
employment and economic development.
As the second-largest producer of carbon dioxide emissions in
the world, China is now exerting great efforts to reduce greenhouse
gases in the atmosphere. At a time when many of its enterprises are
going global, China will also reinforce the importance of
protecting the environment worldwide, said Jia.
Jia insisted that the protection and restoration of forests are
irreplaceable measures in easing climate change and safeguarding
the eco-system.
(Xinhua News Agency August 29, 2007)
