The executive meeting of the State Council
discussed long-term goals to stem desertification yesterday, saying
that the worsening of all improvable desertified land would be
brought under control by the middle of the century.
Premier Wen Jiabao presided over the meeting,
which heard reports on the issue from the State Forestry
Administration.
In recent years, the area of desertified soil has
been in net decrease, but China still suffers the gravest
desertification in the world and prevention and control is still an
arduous task.
The meeting said that by 2010 the environment in
major desertified regions should have seen an obvious improvement,
and that by 2020 over half of recoverable desertified soil should
be improved. By 2050, the desertification of all such soil should
be basically under control.
The meeting also discussed regulation of chemicals
that can be used to make toxins, and said rules are essential to
regulate their production, trade, transport, import and export.
(Xinhua News Agency August 18, 2005)