by Chinese Ambassador to Ukraine Ma Shengkun
At a time when global environmental governance faces many challenges, Xi Jinping Thought on Ecological Civilization, grounded in the laws governing the development of human civilization, provides in-depth answers to major theoretical and practical questions such as why an ecological civilization should be built, what kind of ecological civilization is to be built and how to build such a civilization.
1. The Ten Principles which should be uphold constitute the core essence of Xi Jinping Thought on Ecological Civilization
Upholding the principle of the Communist Party of China’s overall leadership over ecological civilization building is the fundamental guarantee for advancing ecological civilization.
Upholding the principle that civilization will flourish if ecology flourishes profoundly reveals the inherent link between ecology and the rise and fall of civilization.
Upholding the principle of the harmony between humanity and nature makes it clear that humanity and nature are a community of life, and that humanity must respect nature, follow its ways and protect it.
Upholding the principle that lucid waters and lush mountains are invaluable assets breaks away from the mindset that sets development against protection and makes it clear that ecological advantages can be transformed into economic and development advantages.
Upholding the principle that a good ecological environment is the most universal benefit to the people, and treating the eco-environment as a basic public good embodies the people-centered philosophy of development.
Upholding the principle that green development represents a profound revolution in the development concept, promoting a comprehensive green transformation in production and lifestyles, and pursuing a way of sound development featuring increased production, higher living standards and healthy ecosystems.
Upholding the principle of coordinating the management of mountains, rivers, forests, farmlands, lakes, grasslands and deserts fosters a holistic perspective and advances eco-environmental protection and restoration across all elements, entire river basins and all regions.
Upholding the principle of the strictest systems and the strictest rule of law to protect the ecological environment provides hard constraints and institutional guarantees for the building of an ecological civilization.
Upholding the principle of transforming the building of a Beautiful China into the conscious action of all the people helps bring together the ecological efforts of the whole society for joint construction and shared enjoyment.
Upholding the principle of seeking a common path for global ecological civilization construction advocates the view that the eco-environment knows no borders, encouraging all countries to work together to address global ecological challenges.
2. The concept of green development is the core guidance for practicing green lifestyles
The concept of green development has been of great significance in guiding China’s efforts to build an ecological civilization, which have undergone historic, transformative and comprehensive changes, yielding remarkable achievements that have attracted worldwide attention. China is the world’s largest developing country, with a population of over 1.4 billion. Still, the problem of unbalanced and inadequate development remains prominent. In particular, China still faces such severe challenges as limited resources per capita and tightening environmental constraints.
To achieve green development, we must plan development based on the harmony between humanity and nature, respect nature, follow nature’s ways and protect nature; keep economic activities and human actions within the limits that natural resources and the eco-environment can sustain; foster spatial configurations, industrial structures, production modes and ways of life that conserve resources and protect the environment; better turn lucid waters and lush mountains into invaluable assets and transform ecological strengths into development strengths; and ensure that economic and social development and eco-environmental protection reinforce and complement each other and achieve organic unity.
In the field of green and low-carbon industries, China has made remarkable achievements that have attracted worldwide attention. China has built the world’s largest clean power supply system. In 2025, installed renewable energy capacity reached 2.34 billion kilowatts, accounting for 60.1 percent of the country’s total installed power capacity. Additional renewable power generation accounted for more than 60 percent of the global increase. Thus, China has built the world’s largest and fastest-growing renewable energy system.
China has established a complete industrial system for new energy vehicles. In 2025, production and sales of new energy vehicles both exceeded 16 million units. China is leading the automobile industry toward electrification, intelligence and low-carbon development, reshaping the global automotive landscape.
Across China, the skies get bluer, the mountains greener, the waters clearer and the environment more beautiful. From 2015 to 2025, the average PM2.5 density of China’s cities at prefecture level and above dropped by more than 40 percent. By 2025, forest coverage had risen to over 25 percent, and the proportion of surface-water sections with high-tier water quality exceeded 90 percent for the first time.
Under the guidance of the concept of eco-friendly living, the Chinese public’s awareness of conserving resources, protecting the eco-environment and preserving the ecosystem has continued to rise, the eco-friendly consumption group has continued to expand and green lifestyles have become increasingly prevalent. More and more people are consciously acting as practitioners and promoters of green development.
3. China’s practice contributes Chinese efforts to the building of a global ecological civilization
Xi Jinping Thought on Ecological Civilization is not an abstract theory. Rather, it is rooted in the vivid practice of China’s ecological governance. Through decades of practice, China has transformed the concept of ecological civilization into concrete actions and notable results, contributing replicable and scalable Chinese wisdom and solutions for global ecological governance.
China has always been a steadfast actor and major contributor in promoting global green development. Since the beginning of the new era, China’s miracles of ecology and green development have fully demonstrated the scientific truth of the concept of green development, and have also showcased the effectiveness of China’s ecological governance. These achievements have won growing recognition and support from the international community and have played a tangible role in advancing the building of a clean, beautiful and sustainable world.
China’s achievements in green development have benefited people around the world and made important contributions to humanity’s pursuit of green development. China’s wind, photovoltaic and other new energy industries have developed rapidly, with constant innovations and steadily improving quality. They have provided the world with high-quality, cost-effective products for the global low-carbon energy transition and enhanced the sustainability of global development.
To date, China has carried out green energy cooperation projects with over 100 countries and regions. The Al Shuaibah solar project in Saudi Arabia, built by Chinese companies, will deliver green electricity to hundreds of thousands of households. Chinese-made fully electric buses running through the streets of Latin American countries are steering the global shift toward greener mobility. Solar panels made in China are lighting up rural Zimbabwe, enabling African people to access green electricity.
By helping developing countries strengthen development capacity and improve their level of development, China has effectively enhanced the universally beneficial and inclusive global green development.
4. At this year’s Two Sessions, China adopted the world’s first law titled the Ecological and Environmental Code
On March 12, 2026, the fourth session of the 14th National People’s Congress voted to adopt the Ecological and Environmental Code of the People’s Republic of China. Following the Civil Code, it is China’s second formal statutory code and the world’s first law titled “Ecological and Environmental Code.”
The promulgation and implementation of the Ecological and Environmental Code of the People’s Republic of China mark the entry of China’s eco-environmental rule of law into a new stage of systematic integration and all-round enhancement. The Code establishes an institutional framework for the integrated protection and systematic governance of mountain, water, forest, farmland, lake, grassland and desert ecosystems. It contains a dedicated section on green and low-carbon development, incorporating the dual carbon goals into the legal framework. It clarifies the red lines for ecological conservation, sets benchmarks for environmental quality and imposes caps on resource utilization. It further improves mature systems such as compensation for ecological and environmental damage, compensation for ecological conservation and the river and lake chief systems. Overall, it systematically enshrines into national legal institutions the successful practices and effective mechanisms in ecological civilization building since the 18th CPC National Congress.
Going forward, with the full implementation of the Code, China’s eco-environmental rule-of-law system will continue to improve, providing even stronger legal assurance for building a Beautiful China, ensuring that lucid waters and lush mountains become precious assets for the sustainable development of the Chinese nation, and enabling the concept of ecological civilization to take deep root throughout society.
5. Xi Jinping Thought on Ecological Civilization brings new opportunities for practical cooperation between China and Ukraine
As the breadbasket of Europe, Ukraine is endowed with unique chernozem soil, vast forests and rich water resources. It serves as an important ecological security barrier for Europe, with outstanding ecological assets and considerable ecological significance. The concepts advocated by Xi Jinping Thought on Ecological Civilization are highly compatible with Ukraine’s practical needs in ecological protection and green development.
In the fields of chernozem soil protection and green agricultural development, China can share experience in soil remediation and circular agriculture technologies, help Ukraine safeguard the ecological foundation of the “breadbasket of Europe”, promote the transformation of agricultural production toward greener, more efficient and more sustainable development, and advance ecological protection and food security in a coordinated way.
In the fields of green energy transition and low-carbon development, China can leverage its mature technologies and equipment in photovoltaics, wind power and energy storage to help Ukraine build a clean, low-carbon, safe and stable energy system, ease pressure from energy shortages and reduce the environmental burden imposed by traditional energy sources.
In the fields of ecosystem restoration and biodiversity conservation, China can share experience in river basin governance, development of protected areas and the conservation of wild fauna and flora, helping Ukraine restore damaged ecosystems such as forests, rivers and wetlands, rebuilding ecological security barriers and safeguarding regional biodiversity.
In the field of coordinated global ecological governance, China and Ukraine can work together to practice multilateralism, implement international environmental conventions such as the Paris Agreement, jointly respond to global challenges such as climate change and environmental pollution, promote exchanges on ecological governance experience and technological cooperation, and contribute the joint efforts of China and Ukraine to the building of a global ecological civilization.
Ecology knows no borders, and cooperation knows no limits. The concepts of green development and win-win cooperation advocated by Xi Jinping Thought on Ecological Civilization are not only the path of development China follows, but also a guide for action for China and Ukraine on their joint way toward the brighter future. China and Ukraine can fully build consensus in the ecological field and work side by side to safeguard the ecological security of our planetary home. Let the beauty of nature illuminate the future of bilateral cooperation and development, and contribute China-Ukraine strength to building a clean and beautiful world.
