Liu Dongsheng, deputy director of the State Forestry Administration, addresses a press conference on Sept 11, a sideline of the 13th Session of the Conference of the Parties (COP 13) to the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD).[Photo by Guo Xiangyu/Xinhua]

Desertification is not only a challenging global issue but also one of the most serious ecological problems nagging China. With vast tracts of land swallowed up by desert, China is one of the countries with a large population affected by desertification.

Decades of efforts trying to control the shifting sands have contributed to the continuous shrinking of China’s desertified and sandified areas.

Liu Dongsheng, deputy director of the State Forestry Administration, gave an interview with xinhuanet on the sidelines of the 13th Session of the Conference of the Parties (COP 13) to the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD), answering questions about how China deals with desertification and measures that might be required in the future.

With the theme of “Combating Desertification for Human Well-being”, the ongoing COP 13 is tasked to promote the implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and formulate a new strategic framework that will guide action under the Convention from 2018-2030, while affirming the goal of Land Degradation Neutrality (LDN) by 2030 and raising funds to support the achievements of the goal.