Xi makes new push for building a community of all life on Earth

BEIJING, Oct. 13 (Xinhua) -- Chinese President Xi Jinping has been calling on the international community to enhance cooperation, build consensus and pool strength to build a community of all life on Earth.

He reiterated his vision and called for action on Tuesday when addressing the leaders' summit of the 15th meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity, known as COP15, via video link in Beijing.

At the landmark meeting, he announced China's initiative to establish a biodiversity fund and take the lead by investing 1.5 billion yuan (233 million U.S. dollars) to support biodiversity protection in developing countries.

The following are some highlights of his address.

-- Biodiversity makes Earth full of vigor and vitality, and lays the foundation for human survival and development. Protecting biodiversity helps protect Earth, our common homeland, and contributes to humanity's sustainable development.

-- When we take care to protect Nature, Nature rewards us generously; when we exploit Nature ruthlessly, it punishes us without mercy.

-- We need to speed up efforts to foster a green way of development and secure a win-win of economic growth and environmental protection, so as to build a homeland of coordinated advancement of economy and the environment.

-- We need to strengthen solidarity to overcome difficulties and let people across countries benefit more and in a fairer way from development outcomes and a sound environment, so as to build a homeland of common development of all countries.

-- We also need to step up green international cooperation and share the fruits of green development among all countries.

-- We need to practice true multilateralism, and effectively honor and implement international rules, which are not to be exploited or discarded at one's own will.

-- If we humanity do not fail Nature, Nature will not fail us. Ecological civilization represents the development trend of human civilization.