Bamboo, rattan aid clean development

China will continue to promote sustainable development by boosting the bamboo and rattan industry and deepening cooperation with developing countries to implement the UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, Premier Li Keqiang said in a congratulatory letter to an intergovernmental organization’s annual meeting on Monday.

Together with the international community, China will continue building a clean and beautiful world, Li wrote to the International Bamboo and Rattan Organization, which is celebrating its 21st anniversary in Beijing.

“Bamboo and rattan have played a unique role in poverty alleviation, improving people’s living conditions, achieving a green economy and fighting against climate change,” Li said.

“China always attaches great importance to ecological civilization through implementing green development to achieve harmony between humans and nature. We have a long history of bamboo and rattan planting and would like to contribute our experience to the world,” he said.

“This year’s annual meeting will build an important platform for strengthening crossborder communication,” Li said.

As the first intergovernmental organization established in China, the International Bamboo and Rattan Organization now has 43 member states. On July 1, it will officially approve its 44th member state — the Central African Republic.

“Bamboo and rattan are green and renewable resources that play a crucial role in promoting eco-friendly development and improving the ecosystem,” said Hao Mingjin, vice-chairman of the Standing Committee of the 13th National People’s Congress.

As the international community has paid special attention to environmental protection and sustainable development in recent years, Hao said, the bamboo and rattan industry has a promising chance for future development.

Last year, the output value of the bamboo industry reached 235 billion yuan ($36 billion) and increased employment for tens of millions of people, according to the State Forestry and Grassland Administration.

“Bamboo and rattan are resources that are widely spread throughout countries involved in the Belt and Road Initiative, and their related products are traded globally, which provides a promising future for further cooperation,” Hao said.

The three-day meeting will focus on cooperation between developing countries, climate change action involving the plants and emphasizing bamboo and rattan research and innovation. It is the first global congress to focus on bamboo and rattan for sustainable development.