Chinese e-commerce giant Alibaba’s delivery arm Cainiao Network and the government of eastern China’s city of Xiamen in Fujian Province announced plans to cooperate on environment-friendly delivery services Friday.

With the China Environmental Protection Foundation and Chinese major courier companies as participants, including Yunda Express and ZTO Express, the project was launched in the port city ahead of the nation’s largest online shopping festival, on Nov. 11.

The green logistics project includes use of environment-friendly packaging, recycling of paper boxes and use of new energy vehicles.

About 2 million bags made from biodegradable material will be used in the city for the project this year, with the number expected to exceed 10 million next year.

The Cainiao Network will recycle delivery paper boxes on school campuses and in residential communities, with around 1 million boxes expected to be recycled every year, according to Wan Lin, president of the company.

An express dispatch platform to optimize express delivery will be established to increase efficiency and lower costs.

For the upcoming shopping festival, the Cainiao Network will launch warehouses using green packaging. Some of the warehouses have already been put in use, the company said.

“With technical, intelligent and coordinated means, we will strive to make Xiamen an example for China and the world in green logistic services,” Wan said.

In a consumer culture that often amounts to little more than click, buy, receive delivery and throw away the packaging, increasing amounts of cardboard, foam plastic, plastic bags and other packing materials are being thrown away.

Last year China used more than 12 billion plastic bags for express packaging, sparking pollution concerns and calls for environment-friendly logistics.

Election methods of the 19th National Congress of the Communist Party of China (CPC) were approved at a presidium meeting Friday afternoon.

The presidium of the 19th CPC National Congress held its second meeting at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing.

The meeting, presided over by Xi Jinping, approved the draft resolutions on the report of the 18th CPC Central Committee, the work report of the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection, and the amendment to the Constitution of the CPC.

The three draft resolutions will be submitted to all delegations to the congress for discussion.

Liu Yunshan, secretary-general of the congress, briefed the presidium on proposed name lists of nominees for the candidates of members and alternate members of the 19th CPC Central Committee, and members of the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection.

The meeting decided to submit the proposed name lists to all delegations for consideration.

A name list of ballot scrutineers was also approved by the presidium, and will be ratified by the congress before the final vote begins.

The World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) China on Friday published a nature guidebook based on Shanghai’s urban environment.

Supported by Shanghai Disney Resort, the “Wishing Star Park Nature Book” uses the resort’s Wishing Star Park as its natural survey area.

The book features eight chapters and covers different aspects of the park, including aquatic plants, birds, insects, butterflies and wetlands.

Located in Shanghai Disney Resort, Wishing Star Park is a 500,000-square-meter recreational area with restored wetlands along the central lake’s shoreline and more than 2.5 kilometers of pathways through open woodlands and scrublands along the lake’s edge, which evoke the native landscape of the Yangtze River Delta. It creates a living ecosystem, providing a natural environment for plants, animals, fish and more than 70 species of bird.

Murray King, vice president of public affairs at Shanghai Disney Resort, said that the park was designed for families and their children to enjoy and spend time together, and to inspire a lifetime’s understanding of environmental protection.

The book will be sold in merchandise stores at the resort’s two hotels, selected kiosks and other channels. The book will also be available to download for free on the WWF China official website.

The book is one of the three nature guide books series that WWF China has been developing in the past three years, with others featuring the Meng Qing Garden in Shanghai Putuo District and Tai Lake areas in China’s Jiangsu Province, which will be published later, according to Yong Yi, senior manager of environmental education at WWF China.

American journalist Sarah Wendt was surprised to find a media-friendly environment at the ongoing Party congress in Beijing, as opposed to the perceived “media-averse” atmosphere at her home Washington D.C.

Thursday was the second day of the 19th National Congress of Communist Party of China. Wendt and her colleagues arrived early at the Great Hall of the People, which overlooks Tian’anmen Square at the heart of Beijing.

For the second day in a row, a group of 20 delegates met with the press at the “delegates’ passage” at the hall, answering questions from interested reporters.

“There is great access and openness at the Party congress, whereas in the United States, the administration is closed in a way that they don’t want media attention or criticism,” she said.

“The delegates’ passage is a good format to have preliminary interviews with the delegates before going into longer discussions,” Wendt said.

The delegates’ passage is a new addition at the 19th CPC National Congress, drawing on experience from the annual parliamentary sessions in the past years, in which ministers meet the press to answer questions.

About 2,300 delegates have gathered for the twice-a-decade CPC congress, but the number of journalists covering the supremely important political event is even more, at over 3,000.

“The aim is to provide more chances for the delegates to meet with the media,” said Zhang Qiang, deputy director of congress press center.

A total of 70 delegates are expected to receive interviews at the passage. Their interactions with reporters are broadcast live on state television and various Internet portals.

On Thursday, the interviewees included CPC history researcher, aircraft carrier pilot, computer engineer, teacher, cleaner, farmer and anti-corruption official.

Topics touched on Party governance, environmental protection, scientific innovation, and personal stories of grassroots delegates.

Ling Jiefang, writer and a five-time delegate to the Party congress, warned against slackness in the fight against corruption.

“If we look back in the history of China, there has never been a comparable amount of effort to fight corruption like we’ve seen in recent years. There has never been a CPC-led people’s war against corruption like we are having now,” said Ling coming from Henan Province.

“The congress report said the anti-corruption battle shall never cease. If there were any slackness in the effort, corruption might bounce back and there would be negative consequences,” he said.

Besides the passage, there are press conferences and open discussions in delegations with the presence of reporters. Starting Thursday, press conferences are held at the press center.

“The Party congress has become more open and transparent, which reflects the growing confidence of the ruling party of a large country like China,” said Dong Guanpeng, director of the media and public relations institute at the Communication University of China.

Chinese President Xi Jinping’s report at a landmark meeting of the Communist Party of China (CPC) has further boosted the confidence of foreign countries and organizations in China’s development prospect and global role.

In the report delivered Wednesday at the opening session of the 19th CPC National Congress, Xi, who is also general secretary of the CPC Central Committee, blueprinted China’s future development and reiterated Beijing’s aspiration to build a community with a shared future for mankind.

The report “outlines China’s grand strategy for the next few decades” as it brings greater clarity to the vision for China’s full modernization by the middle of the 21th century, said Dali L. Yang, a professor of political science in the University of Chicago.

In particular, the expert said he was impressed by the report’s emphasis on the environment and efforts to build a greener China.

“In fact, the report mentions the environment more than the economy. Modernization is more than economic growth and Xi’s report is a clear articulation of the CPC’s greater emphasis on balanced development,” he told Xinhua via email.

B. R. Deepak, a professor at the Center of Chinese and Southeast Asian Studies of Jawaharlal Nehru University in New Delhi, noted that Xi’s report draws a blueprint for China’s future direction.

“With this blueprint, China will forge ahead to transform into a great modern socialist country by 2050,” added the renowned Indian expert on China.

He added that China’s vision of building a community with a shared future for all humankind, championed by Xi, emphasizes the ongoing trend of multi-polarism, interdependence, tolerance and mutually-beneficial cooperation.

Noting that Xi mentioned the Belt and Road Initiative in his report, Deepak said, “In the next five years, we will witness a lot more infrastructure connectivity in Eurasia, and the region is likely to emerge as an important driver of regional and global growth.”

For Rashed Khan Menon, Bangladesh’s civil aviation and tourism minister, China’s progress is very important to developing countries like Bangladesh, and Xi’s speech reflects what people desire across the world.

“I do believe that the CPC led by Xi Jinping is capable enough to build a modernized socialist China with Chinese characteristics,” he said. “We are confident in his leadership dynamism to lead China forward.”

In the eyes of Suresh Acharya, a senior member of Nepal’s Rashtriya Prajatantra Party (Democratic), Xi’s report is “highly important for the entire South Asia and neighboring countries like Nepal.”

“From his remarks I see very positive signals to materialize the dream of creating this century as the Asian Century,” he said. “The pragmatic vision presented by President Xi will help to build a peaceful and harmonious world.”

“I believe that China will become a global leader as envisioned by President Xi in terms of comprehensive national strength and international influence,” he added. “Common prosperity for everyone will be basically achieved.”