During the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development Forum on Tuesday, China's Premier Li Keqiang applauded his country's effort in making sure that it is constantly growing economically.

Li, who was the chairman of the United Nations (UN) event, stressed on the growth of the state while maintaining peace and protecting the environment.

Like Us on Facebook

"The foundation of sustainable development is development. The core of development is growth because without development and growth, all other things will lose their foundation," he said.

He added that on matters related to development, there should be global assistance to help make sure that it is not only one state that benefits.

"The development we are talking about should be open, interconnected and inclusive. In this sense, sustainable development is a global endeavor," Li said.

The forum was aimed at achieving 17 goals by 2030, some of which include poverty alleviation and environmental protection.

Premier Li voiced optimism that between now and 2020, cases of poverty would be a thing of the past and China's health and housing sector would be commendable.

"We have high hopes that we are capable of eradicating poverty based on the current standards in China by the year 2020 so as to meet targets when it comes to hunger and poverty eradication, women and children's health as well as affordable housing," he said. "By 2030, we hope we will be getting close to the standards of developed countries."

David Nabarro, a UN special advisor for the event, applauded the Chinese government for its efforts to do away with poverty.

"China has also recognized the importance of equity dimension," Nabarro said. He also commended the low carbon growth strategy set out in China's latest 5-year development plan.

Tagschina, China Development, 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, China Foundation For Poverty Alleviation