In April, Beijing is bathed in the vitality of spring, with gentle breezes softening the air. The 2026 Beijing International Friendship Forest Tree Planting Event, jointly hosted by the Beijing People’s Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries and the People’s Government of Changping District, was held on 24 April in Baishan Town, Changping District. Nearly 200 diplomats, foreign experts and international students from 42 countries across five continents, including Germany, Italy, Malaysia, Guyana, Cape Verde and Micronesia, gathered to plant a friendship forest, adding new greenery to the capital. The event was co-organized by the Beijing Overseas Talents Center, with support from China University of Geosciences (Beijing), Capital Normal University, Beijing International Chinese College and other institutions.
Wang Yu, Secretary of Party Leadership Group and Executive Vice President of the Beijing People’s Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries, delivered remarks on behalf of the host organizations. He noted that since its first launch in 2015, the Beijing International Friendship Forest Tree Planting Event has grown into a flagship program featuring voluntary tree-planting for international friends in Beijing. Over the years, nearly 3,000 participants from more than 120 countries have participated, planting over 12,000 saplings and trees. The forest coverage rate in Beijing has reached 45%, a “green” achievement made possible by the enthusiastic support and active participation of every international friend. Green development is a global consensus, and people-to-people connectivity remains an enduring theme. We are not only sowing the seeds of greenery, but also strengthening the foundations of friendship.
Anyin Choo, Ambassador of Guyana to China, was participating in the Beijing International Friendship Forest Tree Planting Event for the second time. In her remarks, she said that since coming to China to study in 1996, she has witnessed firsthand the remarkable achievements Beijing has made in ecological and environmental protection. She noted that climate change has no borders. Beijing’s new forests help conserve the atmosphere and regulate the climate, benefiting the global ecosystem. Guyana’s vast forests, which store nearly 20 billion tons of carbon, are also of great significance to the global ecosystem. Ecological and environmental protection efforts by different countries are never isolated from one another; instead, they are closely connected chapters in the grand course of humanity’s endeavor to protect the eco-environment.
In his remarks, Arlindo do Rosário, Ambassador of Cabo Verde to China, shared Cabo Verde’s experience and measures in ecological and environmental protection. He called on all participants to continue working together in afforestation, jointly build a community with a shared future for humanity, and create a greener future for people around the world.
Let’s plant trees together
The event went smoothly in a cheerful and bustling atmosphere. International participants of different ethnic backgrounds and speaking different languages worked together with great enthusiasm, taking on their tasks with energy and dedication. They shoveled soil, carefully built irrigation berms around the saplings, and watered them carefully. More than 600 saplings, including lacebark pines, magnolias, flowering almond shrubs and crabapple trees, were planted at the site. The fresh greenery standing tall in the spring breeze, adding spring vitality to Changping and also witnessing the friendship between China and the rest of the world taking root in soil and sweat. After learning that the tree-planting site is part of a country park under construction, the participants said they felt a strong sense of involvement and achievement in being able to contribute to the development of the park.
Heidi Kuhn, Founder of the U.S.-based Roots of Peace, and her son Tucker Kuhn flew from San Francisco to Beijing for the event. At the site, they planted an evergreen pine tree symbolizing China-U.S. friendship and hung a plaque on it, reading “The Tree of Friendship between the McNear Family and China”, in commemoration of the longstanding friendship between the family of Heidi Kuhn, whose great-great-grandfather was a member of the McNear family, and China.
On the afternoon of the event, more than 60 diplomats and foreign experts in China who had participated in the tree-planting event visited the International Medical Device City and attended the Changping District Economic and Trade Salon held there.
Zhang Shuo, Vice Mayor of Changping District, gave a detailed introduction of Changping’s industrial strengths and development strategies.
Arlindo do Rosário, Ambassador of Cabo Verde to China, and Zindi, Minister at the Embassy of the Republic of Zimbabwe in China, delivered remarks, sharing updates on China-Cabo Verde and China-Zimbabwe economic and trade exchanges, as well as future cooperation opportunities.
The Investment Promotion Service Center of Changping District, Beijing Changping Technology InnoDevelop Group and other departments provided detailed briefings on Changping’s investment promotion policies, industrial spatial layout and other related topics.
Foreign participants also visited the exhibition hall of the China High-End Medical Equipment Innovation and High-Quality Development Exchange Center, where they closely learned about Beijing’s latest innovations in medical device manufacturing.
Jiao Yutong, Vice President of the Beijing People’s Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries; Zeng Fulin, Deputy Director of the Beijing Overseas Talents Center; and Liang Shiqiang, President of the Changping District People’s Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries, attended the event.
Guest Remarks
Arlindo do Rosário, Ambassador of Cabo Verde to China: The medical equipment displayed at the China High-End Medical Equipment Innovation and High-Quality Development Exchange Center is highly advanced. I will recommend it to officials and experts from Cabo Verde’s health authorities. I hope that Cabo Verde will be able to bring in advanced medical equipment from China in the future.
Lunyumbu, Counsellor at the Embassy of the United Republic of Tanzania in China: Today’s tree-planting event is of great significance for ecological and environmental protection, and is a good deed that will benefit future generations. It is also a memorable experience for me personally. At the same time, by visiting and experiencing high-end medical equipment, I gained a deep understanding of China’s scientific research and innovation capabilities, as well as its leading strengths, in the field of medical equipment.
Anderson Ethan Charles, an American student from Beijing International Chinese College: Through participating in the Beijing International Friendship Forest Tree Planting Event, I learned more about China’s achievements in afforestation and I’m very pleased to make my own contribution to environmental protection. I also hope that I will have the opportunity to take part in the event again in the future.
An Egyptian student from Capital Normal University: By planting a sapling with my own hands, I experienced the sense of achievement that comes from labor. I hope that my small act of kindness and effort can help make the garden greener. Working together with students from different countries to complete the task made us feel like a family, and the atmosphere was relaxed and pleasant.
The Beijing International Friendship Forest Tree Planting Event was launched in 2015 and has been successfully held 11 times to date. Over the years, more than 3,000 international participants from over 120 countries in Beijing have taken part in the event, planting and tending more than 12,600 saplings of various species. The event has made positive contributions to promoting people-to-people connectivity between China and the rest of the world and advancing the building of a Beautiful Beijing.
