BEIJING - China should never grow the economy at the cost of resource depletion and environmental degradation, nor should the country sacrifice growth to protect the environment, Chinese President Xi Jinping said on Monday.

Xi made the remarks in a special address at the 2022 World Economic Forum virtual session.

Xi described economic development at the cost of environment as "draining a pond to get fish," and sacrificing growth to protect the environment as "climbing a tree to catch fish."

"Guided by our philosophy that clean waters and green mountains are just as valuable as gold and silver, China has carried out holistic conservation and systematic governance of its mountains, rivers, forests, farmlands, lakes, grasslands and deserts," Xi said.

The country does everything it can to conserve the ecological system, intensify pollution prevention and control, and improve the living and working environment for its people, he said.