Officials attending the national event for World Environment Day on June 5 pledged to promote the concept of ecological civilization to advance modernization characterized by the harmonious coexistence between humans and nature.

Since the 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China in 2012, China has seen the quality of the ecological environment significantly improve, and the influence of global environmental governance has been greatly enhanced. This has laid a solid foundation for achieving modernization with harmonious coexistence between humans and nature, Sun Jinlong, Party chief of the Ministry of Ecology and Environment, said at the main event held in Jinan, capital of Shandong province.

Despite its GDP increasing by 69 percent over the past 10 years, China saw its average density of PM2.5 particulate matter decrease by 57 percent during that time, according to the Ministry, carbon dioxide emissions have been reduced by 35 percent over the past decade.

In the following five years, China will accelerate the green transformation of development to build a more beautiful China, Sun said.

Last year, the country entrusted Shandong with the mission of building a pilot zone for green, low-carbon and high-quality development.

Lin Wu, Party chief of Shandong, said the province has been ramping up efforts to comprehensively promote green, low-carbon and high-quality development, accelerate the development of a strong, modern socialist province in the new era, and make new progress in economic and social development.

The province has released a three-year plan (2023-25) for developing the pilot zone. The plan proposes 10 key tasks including promoting high-level technological self-reliance and constructing a national innovation center, realizing the transformation of economic drivers, boosting carbon and pollution reduction and green growth, and creating a model for rural vitalization.

Tasks for this year include carrying out the innovation-driven development strategy and implementing the ecological conservation and high-quality development strategy in the Yellow River Delta.

President Xi Jinping has highlighted the protection of the Yellow River. He has visited the nine provinces and autonomous regions the river passes through, and during his trips he emphasized the importance of ecological conservation and the concept that "lucid waters and lush mountains are invaluable assets".