For more than four decades, China has been working to halt the spread of desertification through the Three-North Shelterbelt programme, colloquially known as the Great Green Wall.

The fourth-ranked leader in China's ruling Communist Party Wang Huning said officials must advance the "great cause of national reunification".

Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul’s political strategy paid off, but his victory was also due to a fortunate combination of circumstances, says Harrison Cheng from Control Risks.