Growth and eco-protection not antithetical

As the largest manmade forest, Saihanba in Chengde, North China's Hebei province, is the best footnote to President Xi Jinping's philosophy of balancing environmental protection and economic growth.

Yet some officials still accord priority to economic development at the cost of the environment, while others pursue environmental protection while turning a blind eye to economic growth, which could compromise people's livelihoods.

Since the 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China, Xi has been emphasizing that the pursuit of harmony between humans and nature is about having both "gold mountains" and "green mountains". As such, Xi's philosophy is about striking the right balance between environmental protection and economic growth.