Chinese President Hu Jintao and other top leaders planted trees in Beijing Olympic Forest Park on Saturday, joining nearly 2 million people in the city to mark the nation's 25-year-old voluntary tree-planting tradition.

Other senior leaders joining Saturday's tree-planting activities included Wu Bangguo, Wen Jiabao, Zeng Qinghong, Wu Guanzheng, Li Changchun, and Luo Gan -- six members of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee.

Hu planted trees together with a group of Beijing's science personnel, representatives of "model workers" and "model teachers", and officials from the capital's forestry bureau.

Senior government officials and Communist Party cadres have taken part in voluntary tree-planting activities for many years to enhance public awareness of environmental protection.

Hu asked governments at various levels across the country to address issues of balancing environment protection and new construction, trying the best to give Chinese people a sound living and working environment.

Hu said he expected Beijing to seize the opportunity of holding a "green Olympics" to improve the capital's environment.

Agreeing with Hu, Zeng Qinghong said people in Beijing should feel an urgent responsibility of improving the environment of the capital. "Good vegetation can best interpret 'green Olympics'," he said.

(Xinhua News Agency April 2, 2006)