BEIJING, Oct. 12 (Xinhua) -- Overseas participants hailed China's green development concept highlighted in the International Horticultural Exhibition 2019 Beijing.
The expo was held in the suburban district of Yanqing from late April to mid this week, with the theme of "Live Green, Live Better." In the eyes of foreign participants, green development and green life are their common aspirations.
Fayqa Ashkanani, who was in charge of the Qatar Garden, was deeply impressed by the vast area and wonderful designs of the world's largest horticultural expo, which was attended by 110 countries and international organizations and welcomed nearly 10 million visits.
China paid high attention to the horticultural expo as well as the environmental protection for the well-being of the people, said Fayqa Ashkanani. Qatar is also reducing the impact of oil and natural gas drilling activities on the the environment and afforesting more deserts, she said.
Barbara Woodward, British Ambassador to China, said the expo has so many beautiful gardens and pavilions from across China and the world.
"We have enjoyed attending the Provincial Day celebrations and establishing connections with provincial representatives to help us deepen our relations across China," she said on the Britain Day at the expo last month.
The ambassador said Britain hopes to boost cooperation with China in tackling climate change and pollution.
More expo participants lauded China's green development efforts.
Mohamed Boina Hassani from the Comoros section of the south African joint pavilion, said China is paying increasingly more attention to environmental protection and has rolled out many policies in green energy development.
Many Chinese rural households are using solar panel energy systems and some places are using wind energy, and China also moves to tackle the growing mountains of rubbish. All of these offer experience for Africa, said Hassani.
Lamin Mohamed Dumbuya, deputy head of the Sierra Leone pavilion, said economic development and environmental protection are equally important and this is the significance of the Beijing horticultural expo.
China has seen rapid economic growth over the past years and is now promoting green development by planting more trees and adjusting the industrial structure for the well-being of the offsprings, said Dumbuya.
Vicente Gonzalez Loscertales, secretary general of the Bureau of International Expositions, said the expo is meaningful to all the participants who have been inspired by the concept of ecological civilization and by China's success in prioritizing environmental issues.
"The host country, China, its cities and provinces, and all international participants have taken the opportunity to showcase their green solutions -- whether technologies, ideas or practices -- that contribute to a greener future," he said.
"Thanks to the expo, (not only) the countries, but also the cities, provinces, companies and other participants can strengthen their partnerships in developing a more sustainable and ecological way of life," he added.
