BEIJING — China and Central and Eastern European (CEE) countries will strengthen cooperation in forestry to further boost forest bioeconomic growth, authorities announced on June 2.

The announcement was jointly released by forestry authorities from China and 15 CEE countries including Slovenia at the 3rd China-CEEC High-Level Conference on Forestry Cooperation held on June 2.

The countries will work together to help tackle climate change and realize the Global Forests Goals and the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, according to the announcement.

The countries will step up cooperation in carrying out joint research and promoting trade and investment in forestry-based products, the announcement said, citing huge potential for cooperation in various fields of forest bioeconomy.

Efforts will also be made to strengthen forestry education, skills training and technical exchanges, as well as advance cooperation among enterprises, according to the announcement.

"Developing bioeconomy and promoting green and low-carbon circular development are the inevitable choices to achieve sustainable development and the common expectation of the international community," Guan Zhiou, head of the National Forestry and Grassland Administration, said at the meeting.

China has greatly improved its ecological environment and has made contributions to global ecological security, Guan noted, citing the country's ever-growing forest resources and current forest area of 220 million hectares.

According to Guan, China will accelerate the development of bioeconomy and biotech industries in the future, and strive for modernization in which man and nature coexist harmoniously.