Country's ecological civilization to be strengthened, Xi explains

China will strengthen how it cultivates the country's ecological civilization and will expand international exchanges and cooperation to maintain a green planet, President Xi Jinping said on Monday.

A wide variety of plants grow in China, Xi said, explaining that the Chinese people have held a deep respect for nature and a love for plants since ancient times.

Xi made the remarks in his congratulatory letter to the 19th International Botanical Congress, which kicked off in Shenzhen, Guangdong province, on Monday.

The country has made remarkable achievements in a range of areas in recent years, including rice breeding, genomics, evolutionary biology and biotechnology.

Xi said China will stick to innovative, coordinated, green, open and sharing development ideas to strengthen its ecological civilization, with the aim of building a beautiful country.

It also will make international exchanges and cooperation on scientific research of plants to safeguard Earth, he said.

The IBC, known as the Olympics of botany, is held every six years and is the world's top-level academic event in the field. This is the first time the 117-year-old international event is being held in a developing country.

Xi said the IBC plays an important role in promoting the development of plant science globally. He called on experts and scholars attending the congress to increase exchanges and dialogue, advocate for people to care for plants and for the future so as to make positive contributions to green development and the greater protection of biological diversity.

Premier Li Keqiang said in a signed message to the congress that just holding the IBC in Shenzhen is important to promote industry exchanges between China and other countries and to enhance the level of research around the world on plant life.

The Chinese government has made "commendable" efforts to preserve the environment and to build a better future, said Peter H. Raven, honorary president of the IBC 2017.