Chinese and European specialists discussed various issues concerning the green economy at a Beijing forum that focused on the challenges of urbanization.

The three-day Beijing Humboldt Forum is part of the ongoing EU-China Exhibition on Urban Development that ends on Nov 23.

The forum is co-organized by Beijing's University of International Business and Economics, the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation in Germany and other academic and research institutions from China and Europe.

"Despite rapid economic growth in China, pollution has become a major concern in the country. The green economy should be put top of the agenda in China," said Shi Jianjun, president of UIBE, adding that the growth of GDP needs to go hand-in-hand with an improvement in the quality of life.