Aerial photo shows the Yuqie Desert Highway, traversing the Taklimakan Desert in Bayingolin Mongolian Autonomous Prefecture, northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, June 30, 2022. Photo:Xinhua

Lin Jian, a spokesperson for the Chinese Foreign Ministry on Friday commended the achievement of the green barrier encircling the Taklimakan Desert and expressed gratitude to generations of people who have tirelessly dedicated themselves to combating desertification.

The Taklimakan Desert, known as the "Sea of Death," has been completely encircled with a sand-blocking green belt of vegetation stretching 3,046 km, according to local authorities in Northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region. The Taklimakan covers 337,600 square km, making it China's largest desert and the world's second-largest shifting desert, according to Xinhua. 

The completion of the ecological barrier around the Taklimakan Desert highlights China's commitment to combating desertification. Since the 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China (CPC), China has implemented major ecological projects such as the Three-North Shelterbelt Forest Program (TSFP), protecting 538 million mu (35.87 million hectares) of sandy land, restoring 118 million mu land, and reducing desertified land by a net 65 million mu, Lin said.

China's forest coverage rate has increased to 24.02 percent, establishing it as the nation with the largest and fastest-growing forest resources, as well as the largest area of artificial afforestation in the world, according to Lin.

From the transformation of barren land to a forest sea in Saihanba, to the reclamation of the Kubuqi Desert from a "dead sea" into an oasis, and now the completion of the ecological barrier project, China has achieved extraordinary success in desertification control, Lin said.

The Secretariat of the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) has twice awarded China the "Outstanding Contribution to Combating Desertification" accolade. The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) has presented TSFP with the Global 500 Roll of Honour award.

Desertification is a global challenge and requires a global response. As we speak, the 16th Conference of the Parties to the UNCCD is being held in Saudi Arabia. The China Pavilion is open in the conference where China showcases for the first time its achievements in desertification prevention and control and the progress of the TSFP, according to Lin.

"We will continue to faithfully fulfill our responsibility and obligations in the UNCCD, share China's solutions and know-how, and contribute to achieving zero net land degradation by 2030 and the visionary goal of the G20 Global Land Initiative, keeping desertification in check and making the planet a greener and better place to live," the spokesperson said.

Global Times