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China has preserved 46.7 million hectares of trees and forests, ranking it first in the world, Zhou Shengxian, director of the State Forestry Administration, said recently in Beijing.

China's six largest green projects for this century will each exceed in scale the renowned ecological projects of Joseph Stalin's in the former Soviet Union, Franklin Delano Roosevelt's in the United States and the green programmes in North Africa, Zhou told a working conference on forestry.

"In contrast to the forest coverage rate of 8.6 per cent in the early 1950s, 16.55 per cent of China's territory is currently covered with 158.7 million hectares of forest," Zhou said.

Sixty-five per cent of China's farmland is interlaced with trees. And 20 per cent of controllable deserted land has been harnessed, Zhou said.

He said that by the end of 2000, China had set up 909 nature reserves occupying more than 100 million hectares - about 10.6 per cent of China's territory.

The laws and regulations on forestry issued by the National People's Congress and the State Council have greatly improved the legislation on forestry, he said.

Still, he said, about 400 million people have been affected by desertification, and 166.7 million hectares of China's land have been encroached upon by deserts.

Environment to gain from Norway, UK bond

Norway and the UK pledged to play a more active role in environmental co-operation between China and the European Union (EU) in the near future.

And both urged China to act positively and constructively in the coming World Summit on Sustainable Development in September in Johannesburg, South Africa.

The Chinese and Norwegian governments are committed to the continued efforts to protect their countries' environment while seeking rapid economic development, Norwegian Prime Minister Kjell Magne Bondevik said on Tuesday in Beijing.

"We share the same destiny," added Bondevik when referring to the adoption of international environmental protocols.

Bondevik made these remarks when attending a Sino-Norwegian environmental workshop by environment ministries of both countries.

According to the Norwegian Environment Minister Borge Brende, Sino-Norwegian environmental co-operation will focus on climate change, protection of water resources, fishing and marine environment protection, urban air pollution, acid rain and chemical pollutants reduction.

Norway will attach more preference to China's capacity building in these environmental issues by sharing more environmental technologies and experiences with China.

Last week, UK Environment Minister Elliot Morley expressed the country's interest in co-operation with China in the realms of forestry and agriculture when attending the First Asia-Europe Environment Ministers' Meeting in Beijing.

"We'd like to share more information and expertise with your country," said Morley when referring to the future environmental co-operation in the two fields.

He also urged the Sino-UK environmental co-operation to spread from governmental levels to local communities, including non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and the media.

Morley also encouraged the Chinese Government to further arouse public awareness of environmental protection through education.