Nearly 1,000 Chinese and Japanese planted trees in Beijing Saturday to mark the 40th anniversary of the normalization of China-Japan diplomatic relations, local media reported.
The event, attended by Japanese Ambassador Uichiro Niwa and former Chinese State Councilor Tang Jiaxuan, is part of a series of commemorative activities in this "year of civilian friendly exchanges," Xinhua news agency said.
The tree planting is based on the Japan-China Greening Exchange Fund, which was established at Japan's initiative over a decade ago to subsidize reforestation activities in China involving Japanese private-sector entities.
The Beijing government has announced a plan to increase greenbelts in the capital as one of eight measures to be taken this year to reduce pollution.
While the city is not short of forests, they are situated in the mountains rather than in the seriously polluted urban areas, which sorely lack space for tree planting.