THE HAGUE, Oct. 8 (Xinhua) -- The 2019 Beijing International Horticultural Exhibition, which ends this week, might have long-lasting international influence on green development and environmental protection, experts said.

The expo, which opened to the public in April, was a grand public showcase displaying everything the world had to offer regarding flowers, plants, as well as innovation in the horticulture sector.

"The Beijing International Horticultural Exhibition has been well designed to provide a comfortable and spectacular visitor experience whilst at the same time creating something that can be used post-expo," said Bernard Oosterom, president of the International Association of Horticultural Producers.

"The design kept existing trees on site and the site was developed in a way that was sympathetic to the local environment," Oosterom said, adding that the landscape of the site will remain stunning for years to come.

Over the past several months, around 9 million tourists visited the site. Over 100 countries and international organizations demonstrated their horticulture-knowhow at the expo's 503-hectare large area.

"It is impressive to see the high quality of the landscape design, the variety and the materials that are used," Judith van der Poel, a landscape architect at Niek Roozen Landscape Architects and co-designer of the Dutch section of the expo, told Xinhua.

"Many different gardens and agricultural themed areas show the knowledge and new directions which are popular at this moment," Van der Poel said. "A slope of large colorful flower lines shows more the traditional expo feeling, but many people love to take selfies in between the flowers. New varieties of plants create a wider perspective to the horticultural market in China."

Dedicated to a desire for greener lifestyles and a more harmonious relationship between humankind and nature, the Beijing International Horticultural Exhibition featured a wide array of educational, interactive, state-of-the-art exhibits and buildings under the theme "Live Green, Live Better."

"The 'Live Green, Live Better' ethos has been utilized within the design of many of the buildings, the China Pavilion for example, providing positive examples of sustainable construction for the future," Oosterom said.

"The expo has helped bring together key industry players from around the world who are now more likely to work together in developing the Chinese industry and market for ornamental horticulture production," Oosterom added.

Both Oosterom and Van der Poel pointed out that China has a strong vision for green development and environmental protection.

"They value nature and have strong regulations to protect this," Van der Poel said. "For green development, many big cities are working on new green structure, where forest and wetlands can improve the air quality of the city and the water can be infiltrated on a more natural way."

Van der Poel named Beijing as an example, where the government in recent years has been working on relocating wholesale markets to save space for more city parks and innovative industries. According to this plan, the city wants to add about 66,700 hectares of forest and wetland in five years to increase its forest coverage rate to 45 percent.

"These goals and the realization of these goals are impressive and are an example for other cities in the world," Van der Poel said. "The green goal of China is clear. So I am convinced that quality green will be more and more integrated in the Chinese cities and neighborhoods."

Oosterom said that China is "very sincere in pursuing ecological development and is taking big steps to implement this."

"The government genuinely sees this as a vital component in any future growth of China, and I commend them for this," he said.