Green economy should be synonym of new growth point instead of a burden for Asia. Asian countries should strengthen their reforestation efforts in order to improve environmental conditions while developing their economies. The massive plantation of trees will not only solve the water scarcity problem but also create jobs.

Jose de Venecia, the founding chairman and co-chairman of the Standing Committee of the International Conference of Asian Political Parties (ICAPP), gave an exclusive interview to China.org.cn, on Friday, in Xi'an, Northwest China's Shaanxi province. [Photo by Guo Xiaohong/China.org.cn]?

Jose de Venecia, the founding chairman and co-chairman of the Standing Committee of the International Conference of Asian Political Parties (ICAPP), made several remarks concerning the growth of a green economy in Asia, in an exclusive interview with China.org.cn, on Friday, in Xi’an, Northwest China’s Shaanxi province.

"Economic stimulus programs in Asian countries, planning to fight global financial crisis, should not only include programs to save their banks," said Venecia. "The packages should also include financial provisions for fighting climate change and planting tens of billions of trees worldwide, as Asia has no other choice but to develop in an environmental friendly way for its sustainable growth."

"The massive plantation of trees solves problems of water scarcity, industrial use and irrigation. It will also prevent destructive flood," said Venecia. "It also creates more jobs as we need people to plant trees, take care of them, harvest and process them into timber and replant the trees all over again."

Not only economically rewarding, planting trees brings benefits to the environment, as it fights soil erosion, conserve rainwater, reduces carbon dioxide emission and makes the earth greener, added Venecia.

"I am very impressed by China's reforestation campaign, the largest tree-planting scheme in the world that involves such a huge population," said Venecia. "We should share experiences in reforestation." Over the past two decades, millions of Chinese have participated in planting trees since China set March 12 as the National Tree Planting Day in 1979. The national voluntary tree-planting campaign was launched in the early1980s. Forests will cover 23 percent of China by 2020, according to China's State Forestry Administration. As an alternative energy source, forests have become the fourth most significant source of energy after coal, oil and natural gas.

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