China has been commended for its contribution to sustainable forestry management by ministers and senior officials responsible for forestry from the APEC economies.

At the first APEC Meeting of Ministers Responsible for Forestry, currently being held in Beijing, the Chinese government said it would continue to actively participate in international forestry cooperation on the basis of mutual respect, equal cooperation and benefits for all. China aims to increase its total area of forests by 40 million hectares in the next decade, as compared to that in 2005.

China's Vice Premier, Hui Liangyu expressed the country's readiness to share its experiences and information with APEC members. The meeting passed the Beijing Forestry Declaration - it will be submitted to APEC meeting in Hawaii in November.