President Xi Jinping stressed on Thursday the crucial role of afforestation in enhancing ecological conservation, and called for greater public participation in the country's greening efforts in order to build a Beautiful China and make the nation even greener.

Xi, who is also general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, made the remarks while attending a voluntary tree planting activity in Beijing.

It is the 13th consecutive year that Xi has participated in the capital city's annual tree planting activity since becoming general secretary in late 2012.

Xi, who was joined by other senior leaders of the Party and State, planted trees with local people in southern Beijing's Fengtai district.

While planting saplings of various types of trees, Xi said that China's forest coverage has now exceeded 25 percent and contributed to 25 percent of the global increase in green coverage.

Through continuous efforts, the Taklimakan Desert, China's largest and the world's second-largest shifting sand desert, now wears a "green scarf" and the Horqin Sandy Land has restored its grassland scenery, he said, adding that these achievements have not come easily.

China is one of the countries with the severest desertification. In 1979, the country designated March 12 as National Tree Planting Day and launched a nationwide voluntary tree planting campaign in 1981.

After decades of relentless efforts, China has made significant progress in fighting desertification and restoring the ecological environment.

In 2024, China planted 4.446 million hectares of forest, nearly the size of the Netherlands. The country also restored 3.224 million hectares of degraded grassland and upgraded 2.783 million hectares of sandy and stony land last year.

Xi said that the public have the most direct and genuine feelings about the improvement of the ecological environment.

He noted that it is also important to recognize that China's forests and grasslands are still insufficient, and their quality and the economic profits they create are not yet enough, urging efforts to address prominent problems.

To make China greener, Xi said efforts should be made to advance large-scale greening, expand the channels for turning the country's waters and mountains into invaluable assets, and strengthen the protection of forest and grassland resources.

He called for greater emphasis on making better use of forests and grasslands through reforms, and bringing more job opportunities and boosting people's incomes while making their surroundings greener and more beautiful.

Voluntary tree planting is a nationwide effort that involves everyone, Xi said, adding that it must be continued from generation to generation.

During the tree planting activity, Xi also asked the children at the site about their studies, life and their participation in labor activities.

He said that a better life is created through hard work and encouraged the young people to actively engage themselves in public service activities such as tree planting.

Through such activities, they can exercise their bodies, strengthen their will and gain knowledge, thus promoting well-rounded development, Xi added.