The Communist Party of China (CPC) has given ecological progress a more prominent position by incorporating it into the country's overall development plan together with economic, political, cultural and social progress.

In his report to the 18th CPC National Congress on Thursday, Hu Jintao said, "We must fully implement the overall plan for promoting economic, political, cultural, social, and ecological progress, ensure coordinated progress in all areas of endeavors in the modernization drive."

He stressed that promoting ecological progress is a long-term task of vital importance to the people's wellbeing and China's future.

"Faced with increasing resource constraints, severe environmental pollution and a deteriorating ecosystem, we must raise our ecological awareness of the need to respect, accommodate to and protect nature," he said.

Hu said high priority must be given to making ecological progress and incorporate it into all aspects and the whole process of advancing economic, political, cultural, and social progress, work hard to build a beautiful country, and achieve lasting and sustainable development of the Chinese nation.

China should remain committed to the basic state policy of conserving resources and protecting the environment as well as the principle of giving high priority to conserving resources, protecting the environment and promoting its natural restoration, and strive for green, circular and low-carbon development, he said.

Guided by the principle of maintaining balance between population, resources and the environment and promoting economic, social and ecological benefits, the pace of development should be kept under control, he said.

"We should ensure the speedy implementation of the functional zoning strategy and require all regions to pursue development in strict accordance with this strategy, and advance urbanization, agricultural development and ecological security in a scientific and balanced way," he stressed.

Talking about the development of China's geographical space, Hu said it is in geographical space that ecological progress can be advanced, and China must cherish every bit of it.

"We should enhance our capacity for exploiting marine resources, develop the marine economy, protect the marine ecological environment, resolutely safeguard China's maritime rights and interests, and build China into a maritime power," Hu said.

Hu said a sound ecological environment is the fundamental basis for sustainable human and social development, adding that major projects should be launched for restoring the ecosystem, increase the capacity for producing ecological products, take integrated steps to control desertification, stony deserts and soil erosion, enlarge forests, lakes and wetlands, and protect biodiversity.

"We must treasure nature more consciously, protect the ecosystem more actively, and strive to usher in a new era of socialist ecological progress," he stressed.