Global Leaders Highlight China’s Role in Green Transition at Beijing Summit
In a significant gathering in Beijing on Sunday, experts in global climate and environmental issues commended China’s pragmatic efforts in advancing a green transition, while urging for greater international collaboration to tackle growing environmental challenges.
“As the world undergoes accelerated transformation unseen in a century, the triple crises of climate change, biodiversity loss and environmental pollution continue to deepen, posing severe challenges to human sustainable development,” remarked Huang Runqiu, the executive vice-chairperson of the China Council for International Cooperation on Environment and Development (CCICED) and China’s minister of ecology and environment.
Huang emphasized China’s commitment to reducing emissions and fostering green growth. The nation has developed the largest clean power and clean steel production systems globally, including upgrading 1.17 billion kilowatts of coal-fired power capacity and 990 million metric tons of steel production to ultra-low emissions. Additionally, China boasts 101 nuclear power units either operational or under construction.
The three-day annual general meeting of the CCICED, themed “Pragmatic and Innovative Cooperation, Advancing Together for Green Development,” aims to generate forward-thinking policy recommendations through collaborative research and discourse.
Julie Dabrusin, the international executive vice-chairperson of the CCICED and Canada’s minister of environment and climate change, highlighted the significance of the council in fostering environmental cooperation between Canada and China. “Addressing climate change is both a moral imperative and an economic and strategic necessity in a world that continues to be carbonized,” Dabrusin stated, referencing Canada’s strides in clean electricity, methane reduction, and nature conservation.
Reflecting on his tenure with the council, Xie Zhenhua, China’s former special envoy on climate change, called for open and pragmatic cooperation. He warned against unilateralism and hoped the council would continue to bridge China and the global community, offering strategic guidance in the complex geopolitical landscape.
Achim Steiner, former administrator of the United Nations Development Programme, praised China’s Ecological and Environmental Code and the 15th Five-Year Plan (2026-30) for aligning environmental and developmental goals. He noted the council’s potential as a platform for innovative thinking and effective multilateralism.
Former director of Norway’s CICERO Center for International Climate Research, Kristin Halvorsen, recognized China’s green transition as both an industrial strategy and a necessary environmental measure. She emphasized the global need for China as a leader in environmental cooperation and technology supply, especially in a fragmented geopolitical environment.
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