China is to invest more money in ecological construction, particularly in afforestation.

Officials from State Forestry Bureau says this year the central government will put nearly 43 billion yuan (about US$5 billion) into constructing more man-made forests, to improve the country's ecology and the environment.

China's total afforested area has now reached more than 5 million hectares, an increase of more than 20 percent over 2002.

(CRI. June 29, 2003)