State Forestry Administration says China has planted 24 million hectares of forests under the Three-North Shelterbelt Development Program.

This project will cover an area of 4 million square kilometers after its completion in 2050, with the forest coverage in north China rising from five percent to fifteen percent.

Since 1978, China has injected more than 3 billion US dollars into this program, which plays an important role in rehabilitating the environment in northern part of China.

The Three-North Shelterbelt Development Program, known as "China's Green Great Wall", stretches over 551 counties in north China, and is the biggest ecological program in the world.

(CRI.com May 7, 2005)