BEIJING — Vice-Premier Han Zheng on April 8 called for the advancement of the national afforestation and greening cause to further boost the construction of an ecological civilization and address climate change.

Han, also a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and head of the national afforestation committee, made the remarks at a national afforestation committee plenary conference.

He underlined the importance of the sound advancement of afforestation, noting that the country should optimize territorial spatial planning, appropriately arrange annual afforestation tasks, and implement key national ecological projects, he said.

Han also stressed the importance of efforts to strengthen the guarantee system for national afforestation.

The country should formulate action plans for forestry and grassland carbon sequestration, improve the mechanisms for ecological compensation, and fully implement its forest chief system.