China News Service, Istanbul, November 13. On November 12, local time, during the 31st Conference of the Parties (COP31) of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, the "China-Turkey Ecological Civilization and Green Transformation Dialogue" was held in Istanbul, Turkey. Yu Lan, deputy editor-in-chief of China News Service and president of China News Network, said at the dialogue meeting that exploring a sustainable development path that conserves resources, protects the environment, and is green and low-carbon is a common pursuit of mankind. China News Service is committed to using the power of media to enhance mutual learning and experience exchanges between China and the world, to build consensus and contribute wisdom to global ecological governance and green transformation.
The dialogue was hosted by China News Service and Xi Jinping Thought on Ecological Civilization Research Center, and co-organized by China News Network and the Environmental and Economic Policy Research Center of the Ministry of Ecology and Environment. This is the second time that China News Agency’s “News Hall” has held a series of multilateral events in Türkiye.
The picture shows Yu Lan, deputy editor-in-chief of China News Service and president of China News Network. Photo by Xu Junjie
The full text of the speech is as follows:
Speech at the "China-Türkiye Dialogue on Ecological Civilization and Green Transformation"
(November 12, 2026)
Yu Lan, deputy editor-in-chief of China News Service and president of China News Network
Distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen, friends:
Hello everyone! As one of the organizers, everyone is welcome to attend the dialogue. Ecological civilization is a historical trend in the development of human civilization. Turkey is the place where ancient Eastern and Western civilizations met. This year it is the host country of COP31. It has a special sense of history and mission to exchange ecological civilization issues here.
China News Service is China's national news agency whose main news business is foreign reporting. It is our responsibility and mission to promote exchanges between Chinese and foreign civilizations and people-to-people bonds. The purpose of holding this dialogue is to build consensus and contribute wisdom to global ecological governance and green transformation through the exchange of practical experiences of ecological civilization between China and Turkey.
Under the guidance of Xi Jinping’s Thought on Ecological Civilization, China’s determination, intensity, and achievements in building ecological civilization have been unprecedented in recent years. If I could condense the grand ecological changes into a few moments, I would like to share a few simple figures.
1. 1426 heads
This is the latest population number of the Yangtze finless porpoise.
The Yangtze River is the largest river in China. The Yangtze finless porpoise is known as the "giant panda in the water". They have extremely high requirements for the habitat and are a "living ruler" of the ecological environment.
This year marks the 10th anniversary of the implementation of the Yangtze River Protection Strategy. Our reporters recorded the changes in the Yangtze River by observing finless porpoises. Nanjing, a city on the lower reaches of the Yangtze River, once surrounded the river with chemical industries and was lined with shipyards. Many citizens have heard of the finless porpoise but have never seen it. Ten years of governance, from shutting down polluting companies to restoring wetlands along the river, and ecological improvements have made Nanjing’s finless porpoise encounter rate continue to set new records.
Today, the population of finless porpoises in the Yangtze River has risen from 1,012 in 2017 to 1,426 in 2025. "Final porpoises chasing waves" have become a daily sight in many cities along the river. Watching finless porpoises has also made ecological and cultural tourism popular.
2. 3046 kilometers
This is the length of the green protective belt in the Taklimakan Desert.
The Taklimakan Desert is the second largest mobile desert in the world and is known as the "Sea of Death". In November 2024, the 3,046-kilometer-long green protective belt of the Taklimakan Desert was closed, putting a "green scarf" on this desert.
In Hotan, Xinjiang, on the southern edge of Taklimakan, our reporter recorded the story of a desert control worker born in the 1990s. After graduating from college, he worked hard to start a desert control business for eight years, and the wasteland he managed grew to tens of thousands of acres. He allowed alfalfa, wheat, and corn to take root in the sand sea, turning the desert into fertile farmland.
No matter how ambitious a project is, it must start from scratch. The Chinese people who control desertification in weaving "green scarves" rely on their perseverance and perseverance to achieve success over a long period of time, and they rely on the development concept of adapting measures to local conditions.
3. 40 billion kilowatt hours
This is a new energy base in the central and northern part of Ordos, Kubuqi Desert, China. In the future, it can deliver as much electricity to the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region every year.
The Kubuqi Desert is the seventh largest desert in China. Here, our reporters recorded a different kind of desert scenery: continuous photovoltaic panels are spread to the horizon, generating electricity on the panels, repairing under the panels, and planting trees between the panels; farmers and herdsmen grow tomatoes under the photovoltaic panels, and can earn more than 2,000 yuan per acre; farmers and herdsmen work as maintenance workers at the power station, earning more than 5,000 yuan per month.
The electricity grown in the desert has lit up thousands of homes thousands of miles away and allowed local people to eat "ecological rice."
Numbers are the best explanations and answers. In China today, about 4 of every 10 kilowatt-hours of electricity generated come from renewable energy; 6 of every 10 passenger cars sold are new energy vehicles; more than 200 million people choose to travel in green ways every day. Lucid waters and lush mountains are mountains of gold and silver. This is China’s development philosophy and the daily life and work of Chinese people.
Numbers tell the story of China’s ecological changes and also bear witness to China’s green pursuit with the world. Today, China provides 70% of wind power equipment and 80% of photovoltaic module equipment to the world, and cooperates with more than 100 countries and regions on green energy projects. In Turkey's Iskenderun Bay, the Hunutlu Power Plant built by a Chinese enterprise is Turkey's first chimneyless power station. It has two 660,000-kilowatt units and an annual power generation utilization of more than 8,000 hours. During the strong earthquake in Turkey in 2023, it was the only local power plant that operated without interruption, playing an important role in disaster relief. Many people don’t know that in order to protect the endangered green sea turtles on the beach, this internet-famous power plant that is “uncollapsed by earthquakes” chose a more expensive optimization plan at the beginning of the construction design to build a life channel for sea turtles to reproduce.
Dear guests. Whether in China or Türkiye, every green number is connected to a vivid development story. China and Turkey are both emerging powers and important members of the Global South. They both face the common issue of protecting the ecology and developing the economy. It is our common pursuit to explore a sustainable development path that conserves resources, protects the environment, and is green and low-carbon. At today’s dialogue, we look forward to sharing more stories about building a clean and beautiful world together.
Thank you all!
