Chinese leaders join Beijingers for tree planting

Chinese President Hu Jintao (R) waters a newly planted maidenhair tree with a young pioneer in Beijing, April 5, 2009. (Xinhua Photo)

Wu Bangguo, chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress (NPC) of China, plants a tree in Beijing, April 5, 2009. (Xinhua/Ma Zhancheng)

Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao (R) plants a tree with two others in Beijing, April 5, 2009.(Xinhua/Li Xueren)

Jia Qinglin (C), chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), plants a tree in Beijing, April 5, 2009. (Xinhua/Rao Aimin)

Chinese Vice President Xi Jinping (R) waters a newly planted tree with a young pioneer (2nd R) and two others in Beijing, April 5, 2009. (Xinhua/Rao Aimin)

BEIJING, April 5 (Xinhua) -- Chinese President Hu Jintao and other senior Chinese leaders joined millions of people in Beijing for voluntary tree planting Sunday morning.

Wu Bangguo, Wen Jiabao, Jia Qinglin, Xi Jinping, Li Keqiang, He Guoqiang and Zhou Yongkang also took part in the activity at a new park in the western outskirts of Beijing.

Hu said, the Beijing Olympic Games greatly improved the city's environment and he hoped those achievements would be maintained and improved upon.

He also called on the public to continue to be actively involved in tree planting activities so as to make China cleaner and greener.

Leading officials from central government ministries and Beijing's municipal departments, as well as local residents, planted trees over the weekend. That's a total of about 1.8 million people, the Beijing Municipal Forestry Bureau said.

According to a decision by the National People's Congress on voluntary tree planting issued in 1981, Chinese citizens aged from 11 to 55 should plant three to five trees every year, as a way to increase China's forest coverage rate.