China's 300-year desert battle

BEIJING - Although government efforts to control desertification in China have been effective, it will take about 300 years to reclaim the land swallowed by deserts at the current rate of progress, a senior official said on Tuesday.

About 530,000 square kilometers of desert areas in the country can be returned to green land, said Liu Tuo, director of the national bureau to combat desertification under the State Forestry Administration, at a news briefing held by the State Council Information Office.

However it will take about 300 years to achieve the goal at the current rate of 1,717 sq km a year, Liu added.