Journalist from Cambodia: Beijing, a City Committed to Green and Sustainable Development

"It is really difficult for me to name a specific spot that impressed me the most, because all of this was amazing", said Lim Chea Vutha, CEO of Fresh News in Cambodia, adviser to Prime Minister of Cambodia and deputy secretary general of the Cambodian Federation of Journalists, after his trips to the International Horticultural Exposition 2019 Beijing and the Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games Exhibition Center of the Beijing Olympic Organizing Committee.

On August 21st, the "China Now: Silk Road Rediscovery Tour of Beijing Upon the 70th Anniversary of the PRC" event hosted by the Information Office of Beijing Municipality has been held for two days and will last until August 23rd.

For Lim Chea Vutha, this is his second time to Beijing. As an international metropolis, Beijing boasts a rapid economic development that is known to the world. However, he expressed that this visit has refreshed his original understanding of Beijing, that it not only enjoys a rapid economic growth, but also sticks to build a city that embraces green and sustainable development.

Lim Chea Vutha in the Yanqing Ecological Exhibition Hall (photo by Cheng Xi)

In the Yanqing Ecological Exhibition Hall of the International Horticultural Park, Lim Chea Vutha learned that Yanqing used to be a place which suffered from droughts and frequent natural disasters. Fortunately, after the founding of the PRC, people in Yanqing have dedicated themselves to the construction, preservation and management of water resources, thus a series of achievements have been made. He said: "No matter how hard or tiring it might be, people in Yanqing have always stayed with science and been creative and practical. It was their innovative minds that created those miracles of water conservancy projects which have impressed the world and are worth learning. I have strong feelings of their determination to improve the ecological environment".

Lim Chea Vutha in Beijing Wild Duck Lake National Wetland Park (photo by Cheng Xi)

After visiting the Beijing Wild Duck Lake National Wetland Park, he said, "I've heard that many actions have been taken in Beijing to improve the air quality such as prevention of pollution and protection of the blue sky. But just as the saying goes, 'It's better to see than to hear'. Yanqing indeed can be called as 'a palace in the summer', with the slim lotus blossoms, the green reeds, flying geese, the wild duck walking through the reeds, the fresh oxygen-rich air, the clean lake, and all of these have made it a unique place to relax and entertain! The concept of 'making the green scenery into beautiful scenery' has come true in the ecological construction of Yanqing". At the same time, he also pointed out that environmental governance and green development are issues of global concern. Beijing's air pollution control and green sustainable development have become world-class models and can be used as reference for other cities around the world.

Lim Chea Vutha (left) watching promotional videos in the Beijing Organizing Committee for the 2022 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games (photo by Qu Yi)

Besides, during the visit to the Organizing Committee, Lim Chea Vutha also expressed his appreciation for Beijing's green concept and the spirit of sustainable development. In the Shougang skiing large hill, he raised his thumb and gave a big praise. "Beijing has made the best use of the opportunity of the Winter Olympics, reshaping and activating the image and development of this area, giving the abandoned industrial area a new mission, achieving a 'magic' transformation in Shougang Industrial Park." He said that this is the manifestation and inheritance of the spirit of green sustainable development, and it is also the perfect combination of Olympic culture and industrial heritage, and is a textbook-style case of resource-saving. The transformation of the Winter Olympics competition venues, as well as the reuse after the games have made him keep praising.

Lim Chea Vutha in a live broadcast (photo by Cheng Xi)

It is worth mentioning that, during the whole events, Lim Chea Vutha has constantly posted photos on his social apps, providing live broadcast via his cellphone. He hopes that he can show to the Cambodian people a true, three-dimensional, and comprehensive Beijing, that he can tell the Cambodian people the green and sustainable development concept of Beijing and its theory on ecological protection.