BERLIN, Dec. 11 (Xinhua) -- China has achieved a great success since it began to solve environmental problems such as air and water pollution, garbage accumulation and deforestation since 2010, Hans-Josef Fell, founder of German thinktank Energy Watch Group, said in a recent written interview with Xinhua.

In many Chinese cities such as Beijing, the number of days with clean air has increased significantly. China has emerged as a leader in the global renewable energy market, especially in solar, wind and energy storage technologies. Additionally, clean high-speed trains have also reduced climate disruption caused by air traffic.

China has made great strides in afforestation, which occurs not only in its Gobi desert, but also in urban areas with urban greening programs. These trees are absorbing carbon dioxide and pushing back the desert, Fell added.

Given its importance for the global ecology and achievement of the Paris Agreement goals, China has an important role to play in global climate protection, he said.

China's exchange of environmental legislative initiatives and trade in clean technologies with Germany and Europe is at a high level and should be further strengthened, said the former parliamentarian of the German legislative body Bundestag, adding that China could also draw lessons from the history of environmental protection in Germany and Europe.

In the future, China could accelerate the development of a renewable economy, zero-emissions transportation, continued reforestation and greening, and develop organic agriculture and environment-friendly buildings, Fell said.

He added that the trade of environmental technologies and goods between China and the rest of the world will create a lot of jobs.

With the advancement of the China-proposed Belt and Road Initiative, railways linking China and Germany can serve as an important transcontinental trade corridor for climate and environmental technologies and sustainable products, Fell said.