Chinese President Xi Jinping, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, talks with the officials, people and school children on-site during a tree-planting activity in Chaoyang District in Beijing, capital of China, April 2, 2021. The activity was also attended by other leaders including Li Keqiang, Li Zhanshu, Wang Yang, Wang Huning, Zhao Leji, Han Zheng and Wang Qishan. (Xinhua/Li Xueren)

Chinese President Xi Jinping on Friday joined Beijing citizens to plant trees and urged efforts to build a beautiful homeland with harmonious coexistence between humans and nature.

Xi, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, made the remarks while attending a tree-planting activity in Beijing's Chaoyang District.

The activity was also attended by other leaders including Li Keqiang, Li Zhanshu, Wang Yang, Wang Huning, Zhao Leji, Han Zheng and Wang Qishan.

Xi planted six saplings of different species. While planting the trees, he told young students around him to foster a sense of hard work from childhood, study hard, and be prepared to contribute to the country's development with a strong body and mind.

Noting that 2021 marks the 40th year since China started the nationwide tree-planting campaign, Xi hailed the contributions of the Chinese people from all ethnic groups in making the country greener and helping expand its forest resources.

Chinese President Xi Jinping, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, plants a tree during a tree-planting activity in Chaoyang District in Beijing, capital of China, April 2, 2021. The activity was also attended by other leaders including Li Keqiang, Li Zhanshu, Wang Yang, Wang Huning, Zhao Leji, Han Zheng and Wang Qishan. (Xinhua/Huang Jingwen)

The president, however, drew attention to prominent problems such as insufficiency in the total forest and grassland resources in the country as well as the relatively low quality of these resources.

Reiterating that the Chinese nation has always laid emphasis on the harmonious development between humans and nature, Xi said as the new stage of development has put forward higher requirements for ecological conservation, greater efforts must be made to advance green development and lead the trend of global development in this regard.

China should remain firm in its commitment to putting the environment first and pursuing green development, Xi added, calling for realizing the goal of peaking carbon emissions and achieving carbon neutrality and safeguarding global ecological security.

Stressing that building a beautiful China requires the efforts of everyone, Xi said that to build a beautiful China is to ensure the health of great rivers and mountains of the motherland, as well as the health of generations of Chinese people.

He urged Party members and cadres to take the lead in fulfilling their responsibilities in afforestation, living a green and low-carbon life, protecting the planet Earth as home of human beings and safeguarding the lucid waters and lush mountains of the motherland, thus enabling the people to lead a high-quality life.