Chinese President Xi Jinping has replied to a letter sent to him by English school children about climate change, assuring the students that Beijing was carrying out "unprecedented" actions to address the current crisis.

Xi was writing back to a class of eight- and nine year-olds from Francis Holland School, an international girls' school in London, after they sent him a letter expressing their concern about the future of our environment.

In his reply, Xi stressed that China had respected and loved nature since ancient times, saying that its "lucid waters and lush mountains" had always been "invaluable assets".

"This concept is deeply rooted in the hearts of China today. We ask the whole of society to protect the natural and ecological environment … and build a beautiful China," he wrote.

He added that the earth was "a big family, and mankind is a community. Climate change is a common challenge faced by all mankind, and mankind must cooperate to deal with it."

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Last term, the Year 4 students wrote a class letter to world leaders asking them how they were planning to address the climate crisis, holding them accountable to the pledges made at the 2021 UN climate conference COP26.

Each girl in the year addressed her letter to a different world leader, to ensure that they contacted as many influential people as possible.

Amid the exchange with Xi, three officials from the Chinese embassy in London visited the school to find out about their climate change projects, gifting each girl in the year with a panda stationery set.

In Xi's letter, he said that schools in China also attached great importance to learning about the environment, and primary school students in particular were taught to develop good habits around energy conservation and environmental protection.

He added that the children in London were welcome to come to China, "for the opportunity to visit the world's largest wind and solar power plants, the most extensive plantation forests and beautiful national parks."

He also encouraged them to communicate with Chinese primary school students, "so that the concept of green development takes root in your hearts, and when you grow up, you will become active builders of a beautiful home for mankind."