The Kubuqi Desert in north China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region was once known as the Sea of Death due to desertification caused by indiscriminate and uncontrolled slashing and grazing. The situation also threatened the lives of the local community as well as business activities.

Now it has over 6,000 square km covered in green and the number of its flora and fauna species have grown from 100 to more than 530. The income of the people in the desert area has also increased, and their quality of life has greatly improved.

The changes took place thanks to China's strict legal system to protect the ecological environment. There are over 30 laws, 100 regulations and over 1,000 local rules on ecological and environmental protection in China. 

"An ecological and environmental protection legal system has been established, targeting various pollution factors, as well as covering various natural ecosystems such as mountains, rivers, forests, fields, lakes, grasses and sands. This provides legal support for strengthening ecological and environmental protection," Zhu Yongguan, a member of the National People's Congress (NPC) Environment Protection and Resources Conservation Committee, said while introducing legislation and supervision in the field of environmental protection to senior parliamentary officials attending the 2023 Interregional Seminar on the Achievement of the SDGs for Parliaments of Developing Countries held by the NPC and the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) on July 6-15.

Also known as the Fifth Seminar for Parliaments of Developing Countries, the theme was, "Stronger Inter-Parliamentary Exchanges for Better Achievement of the SDGs." Twenty-nine senior parliamentarians and officials from nine countries, including Cambodia, Guyana, Honduras, Kiribati, Laos, the Maldives, South Africa, Suriname and Thailand, gathered in China to enhance exchanges and learn from each other's development.

"We conserve the ecosystem not only for the sake of the environment but also to promote sustainable development. Our goal is to drive economic prosperity from ecosystem conservation, embodying the concept of Green is Gold. By effectively preserving the ecosystem, we can translate this into wealth and improved wellbeing," Zhu, also a professor at the Institute of Urban Environment of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, added.

"Having learned about China's laws, regulations and policy measures in protecting the environment and reducing carbon emissions, I am very inspired and hope that both sides can further enhance cooperation in this field in the future," Linda Frances Donaire Portilho, Honduran Congresswoman, Pro Secretary II, said.

Protecting the environment is only one of the countless experiences that China can share with the rest of the world. With over 1.4 billion people moving toward modernization in a peaceful and developmental way, China will surely bring stronger driving forces and broader opportunities to world economic growth, Shohrat Zakir, vice chairman of the NPC Standing Committee, said at the opening ceremony of the seminar, adding that China is ready to work with other developing countries to build consensus on development, promote world economic recovery and sustainable development, and enhance exchanges and mutual learning among civilizations via cooperation between legislative bodies.

IPU general secretary Martin Chungong said sustainable development transcends political boundaries, while China's achievements serve as an inspiring model for global collaboration.

People-centered philosophy

After the three-day activity in Beijing, the delegation visited Kunming in Yunnan Province, Nanjing and Suzhou in Jiangsu Province, and Shanghai to develop an in-depth understanding of whole-process people's democracy and the practical experience of Chinese modernization.

In Kunshan of Suzhou, the delegation visited the Kunshan Legislative Outreach Office of the Legislative Affairs Commission. These offices are directly associated with the standing committees of the people's congresses at all levels. People can express their expectations for future laws and offer relevant suggestions there. Over the past two years, the Kunshan Legislative Outreach Office has participated in the solicitation of opinions for 43 legislative drafts and plans, submitting 2,057 suggestions, with 198 suggestions being recognized and adopted.

After learning about the system, Doris Eunice Dlakude, deputy chief whip of the Majority Party in South Africa's Parliament, said she was greatly impressed by the people-centered approach, a philosophy she believes South Africa can adopt. "We must consult the people. They must be involved in improving their own lives and voice what changes they want to see," she said. Drawing parallels between China's grassroots engagement and South Africa's governing party's strategy, she expressed admiration for the cascade of policy discussions in China, from the grassroots level to national conferences.

Echoing Dlakude, Oneidge Walrond, Minister of Tourism, Industry and Commerce of Guyana, said that “China's unique approach to governance” stood out for her. “The government reaches down to the grassroots, and likewise, the grassroots can reach the central government,” she stated, adding that a people-centered philosophy is a catalyst for poverty reduction and inclusivity.“This approach encourages everyone to benefit from the nation's prosperity,” she noted.

Fruitful trips

Seeing is better than hearing, thus international guests went to grassroots legislative outreach offices to have face-to-face exchanges with local NPC deputies, observe the practice of Chinese democracy at the grassroots level, see for themselves what exactly is China’s democracy and rule of law, and listen to the voices of the Chinese people.

For example, in Taicang of Jiangsu, Chu Feng, a deputy to the 14th NPC and a portal crane driver at Taicang Wanfang International Terminal Co. Ltd., shared his experience of actively engaging in in-depth exchanges with the people, participating in various NPC work and providing suggestions to solve the difficulties faced by frontline industrial workers like himself, as well as other urgent and difficult problems faced by the people around him.

In Beijing, Chen Hongzhi, director of the standing committee of the Chaoyang district people's congress, shared the story of how Fan Qiufeng, a centenarian, participated in the election of NPC deputies. Chen also introduced that women deputies account for 40.7 percent of the total number of deputies to the district people's congress, while deputies from ethnic minority groups account for 8.2 percent. A total of 32 opinions and suggestions were collected for the draft of the law on the prevention and control of noise pollution, which took effect in June 2022, and 25 of them were submitted to the Legislative Affairs Commission of the NPC Standing Committee.

"The basic criteria of democracy lie in whether the people are the masters of the country. We must consider not only whether the people have the right to vote, but also whether they have the right to broad participation," Chen said.

Potential for cooperation

During the trips and discussions, parliamentarians from different countries expressed their vision for future collaborations with China.

Wang Chuanrui, a member of the National Assembly of Suriname, discussed the potential of agricultural cooperation with China, emphasizing collaboration under the framework of the Belt and Road Initiative as a pathway to win-win growth.

"History has indeed validated the positive role of the Belt and Road. In the present context, the multilateral development advocated by the Belt and Road Initiative is exactly what developing countries need,”he said.

Moosa Siraj, a member of the People's Majlis of Maldives, stressed the promising potential of investments in the tourism sector, which he said would yield significant economic benefits and enhance the wellbeing of the Maldivian people.