Chinese President Xi Jinping has called on botanists worldwide to increase cooperation in protecting biodiversity and promoting green development.

Xi made the remarks in a congratulatory letter to the International Botanical Congress, which opened in Shenzhen yesterday.

In his letter, Xi welcomed delegates from around the globe to the Congress. He noted that plants are the primary producer of the ecological system, exerting a profound impact on the earth's ecological environment.

Mankind has never ceased to explore the world of plants, and the use and protection of plants promotes the progress of human civilization, the letter reads.

China has one of the most diverse array of plant species on Earth. From ancient times, the Chinese people have respected nature and loved plants, and Chinese civilization contains broad and profound botanical culture, Xi said in the letter.

"The Book of Poetry", compiled more than 2,500 years ago, details over 130 species of plants. Chinese herbal medicine has made great contributions to human health, and the Silk Road, which originated from the cultivation of mulberry trees to raise silkworms, has become one of the most important trade and cultural ribbons connecting the East and the West, according to the letter.

In recent years, China has made remarkable achievements in rice breeding, genomics, evolutionary biology, biotechnology and other areas. Adhering to the development philosophy of innovation, harmonization, green, openness and sharing, China will strengthen the construction of biological civilization, build a Beautiful China, conduct wide international exchanges and cooperate with other nations in botanical research to protect the ???earth, which is the common home of humankind, Xi said in the letter.

Xi stressed that the International Botanical Congress plays an important role in promoting the development of botanical science. He urged international experts and scholars at the 19th IBC, with "Green creates future" as its theme, to enhance cooperation and dialogue, and to make contributions to the protection of biodiversity and the promotion of green development.

Chinese Premier, Li Keqiang, also sent his congratulations to the Congress in an official written instruction. The International Botanical Congress is the world’s highest-level academic conference in botany and plays an important role in the global development of botanical science. The 19th IBC is highly significant as it promotes exchanges between Chinese and foreign botanists and lifts the research standards of botanical science worldwide, Li said.

The Chinese Government has firmly adhered to the basic national strategy of resource conservation and environmental protection in order to put ecological civilization in a strategic position. The government places great importance on the research and international cooperation in botanical science and has made great progress in related fields. The premier urged the Congress to deepen exchange, inspire one another, seek consensus and make new contributions to the development of botany, the protection of biodiversity, in order to make the earth a green and civilized planet.

President Xi's letter and Premier Li's instruction were read to the delegates attending the opening ceremony of the 19th International Botanical Congress yesterday.

Founded in 1900, the IBC is the highest-level and most influential international conference on botany. The 19th Congress has been co-organized by the Botanical Society of China and the Shenzhen Municipal Government. About 6,000 people from almost 100 countries and regions, including China, the United States, Russia, the United Kingdom, Germany and France are attending the Congress.

XIX International Botanical Congress opens in Shenzhen

Lei Kaibin, Zhang Qian

raylei21@163.com

Despite the heat and midsummer showers, thousands of participants were gathered in Hall 4 of the Shenzhen Convention and ExhibitionCenter for the opening ceremony of the XIX International Botanical Congress yesterday.

President Xi Jinping sent a congratulatory letter to the congress that was read out by Ma Xingrui, governor of the Guangdong Provincial Government, at the opening ceremony. Premier Li Keqiang also sent important instructions.

Wu Weihua, president of the congress' organizing committee, delivered a speech, asserting that China is one of the countries with the richest botanical diversity and is also the only country that has a continuous and uninterrupted vegetation zone.

“So far, China has established over 2,300 nature reserves and more than 200 botanical gardens, and this has provided great contributions to global efforts in protecting botanical diversity,” said Wu.

Wu, an academician of the ChineseAcademy of Sciences, added that China is now playing a vital role in protecting plant diversity globally. Mankind is now facing tremendous challenges regarding natural resources and the environment, said Wu.

According to him, this year’s congress, themed “Green Creates Future”, advocates for people to care for plants and care for the future, and is a platform where Chinese botanical practitioners can join hands with their counterparts from all around the world. Chinese scientists anticipate working more with plant scientists from other countries in the future to create a greener world.

Commissioned by the top leaders of GuangdongProvince, Wang Weizhong, Party chief of Shenzhen and also the other president of the congress' organizing committee, welcomed the guests at the opening ceremony. Wang pledged that Shenzhen would thoroughly implement the key instructions from President Xi Jinping and Premier Li Keqiang and insist on the Five Development Concepts, namely Innovation, Harmonization, Green, Openness and Sharing.

Wang said that the city would take the congress as an opportunity to further promote the protection and study of plants by following international standards. Wang also invited botanical experts from both China and around the world to work with Shenzhen in this field in order to create a better world.

The IBC is held every six years and the first congress was held in 1900. It is the highest-level and most influential global botanical conference. This year’s congress has been jointly organized by the Botanical Society of China and the Shenzhen Municipal Government. It is the first time that the congress has been held in a city in a developing country. This year’s congress set the record for the number of registered participants.

The weeklong gathering of botanical experts from all around the world has also been embedded with Chinese characteristics and Shenzhen marks, including the revised International Code of Nomenclature for Algae, Fungi and Plants called the “Shenzhen Code”, the establishment of the “Shenzhen International Award in Plant Sciences” and a memorial park for IBC 2017 that will be built in the Futian Mangrove Park.

Gala Dinner

Attendees to the International Botanical Congress will have an opportunity to get to know their new acquaintances at a gala dinner, while savoring exquisite Chinese dishes and enjoying piano, violin and dance performances as well as magic shows.

Time: 6:30-9 p.m. Wednesday

Venue: Banquet Halls 1, 2, 3, 6F, Sheraton Shenzhen Futian Hotel

Fee: 500 yuan per person

Note: Invitation only