Traditional Chinese culture advocates the unity of man and nature, and contains the concept of harmonious coexistence between man and nature. At present, more and more people around the world are paying attention to the importance of excellent traditional Chinese culture in leading the ecological transition.
At present, the world is facing the challenge of climate change, with extreme weather, storms, droughts, floods and other disasters bringing serious and devastating consequences. In the face of common challenges, some countries have not taken measures quickly and robustly. China is a leader in the construction of global ecological civilization, and there are many practices that other countries can learn from.
Over the past 20 years, I have visited China frequently and seen the country's incredible achievements in the field of green development. China has developed into the world's leading producer of photovoltaic modules, with an installed solar power capacity of more than 600 million kilowatts by the end of 2023. China's new energy vehicle industry is developing rapidly and is in a leading position in the world.
The current world needs a new concept to protect the ecology, promote green development, and promote environmental governance reform. This philosophy is very different from the individualism and materialism that predominate in some countries. Science may be able to tell us what steps we need to take to combat climate change, but it alone does not provide the worldview, the values that inspire us to take these necessary steps. That's why we need the concept of ecological civilization.
Some people in Western countries mistakenly believe that "civilization" is the opposite of "ecology", because according to their understanding, the definition of "civilization" is "the transformation of nature". However, from the perspective of traditional Chinese culture, ecological civilization is an intrinsically unified concept. People, families, farmlands, villages, cities, and even entire countries must live in harmony with their surroundings and with nature as a whole. Traditional Chinese culture advocates the unity of man and nature, and contains the concept of harmonious coexistence between man and nature. At present, more and more people around the world are paying attention to the importance of excellent traditional Chinese culture in leading the ecological transition.
Today, China attaches great importance to promoting the construction of ecological civilization. The Communist Party of China (CPC) regards the construction of ecological civilization as an important part of the overall layout of socialism with Chinese characteristics, and green development has become an important concept guiding China's development. "Enhancing the awareness that lucid waters and lush mountains are invaluable assets" is written into the constitution of the Communist Party of China. The requirements for implementing the new development concept, ecological civilization and building a beautiful China are written into the Chinese Constitution. Under the guidance of scientific concepts, China's ecological civilization construction is constantly achieving new progress, bringing hope to the world.
At the end of last year, I was invited by Pu'er College to Yunnan to participate in the 7th Pu'er Green Development Forum. This was my first visit to Pu'er, Yunnan Province, and I was impressed by the mountains, rivers and dense forests. In the "Pu'er Jingmaishan Ancient Tea Forest Cultural Landscape", which has just been successfully inscribed on the World Heritage List, I learned about the history of the local people living in harmony with nature for thousands of years. Today, the local people are thriving while preserving nature and passing on culture.
As the world's two largest economies, the United States and China need to cooperate in the construction of ecological civilization. China's concept of ecological civilization construction has reference significance for the United States. I hope that the story of the harmonious coexistence between man and nature that I saw in Jingmai Mountain in Yunnan Province will be known to more people in the United States.
The author is president of the U.S.-China Institute for Postmodern Development