China is ready to work with the international community to contribute to the fight against global desertification, a Chinese forestry official said Monday.

Zhu Lieke, deputy director of the State Forestry Administration of China, attended the high-level meeting of the ninth conference of the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD)?in Buenos Aires?and introduced the efforts and achievements China has made in combating desertification.

Zhu called on the international community to fully realize the importance of combating desertification in tackling climate change and to combine desertification prevention and control with national economic development planning.

The UNCCD should play a leading role in global efforts to combat land degradation, he said.

The high-level meeting brought together more than 60 ministers from signatories to the convention. Delegates from international bodies, including the World Meteorological Organization and the Convention on Biological Diversity, also attended the meeting.

The 12-day UNCCD conference runs through Oct. 3.