Full coverage: Eco Forum Global Annual Conference 2016

This year's Eco Forum Global Annual Conference has held its opening ceremony in Guiyang, the capital of Guizhou Province in Southwest China.

This year's Eco Forum Global Annual Conference has held its opening ceremony in Guiyang, the capital of Guizhou Province in Southwest China.

The theme this year: "Embracing a New Era of Eco-Civilization: Advancing Green Development, Unifying Knowledge and Action". China’s top political advisor Yu Zhengsheng made a keynote speech at the ceremony, reiterating China’s determination to work with other countries to achieve the UN Sustainable Development Goals and the Paris Agreement on Climate Change.

Leaders from Switzerland, Kenya and Papua New Guinea also shared their views on ecological issues. The forum will last until Sunday, and will include nearly 40 seminars. More than 12-hundred guests -- including experts, entrepreneurs and scholars from international think tanks -- will discuss issues related to green development, climate change and poverty alleviation.

"China will always put ecological environmental protection as an important area of opening up to the outside world, and will fulfill international environmental conventions, as well as taking international obligations. It will continue to participate in global cooperation in combating climate change, and make important contributions to global ecological security," said Yu Zhengsheng, Chairman of CPPCC National Committee.

"China can really make a difference in protecting our climate since China is so large, so fast growing. If Swiss technologies can be used in China to better protect our climate, this can really make the difference," said Christa Markwalder, President of National Council of Switzerland.

"In order to achieve the Paris Agreement, we need radical reductions of emissions around the world, China has a key role to play. I’m very happy to have noted that the 13th five-year-plan takes that responsibility serious," said Peter Bakker, President & CEO of World Business Council for Sustainable Dev't.