CCIEE and UNDP Jointly Release of the Report of Paving the Way for Low Carbon Development Along the Belt and Road and Globally

On April 26-27, the report of Paving the Way for Global and Low Carbon Development along the Belt and Road and Globally was released in Changxing County, Huzhou City, Zhejiang Province. The release was co-hosted by China Center for International Economic Exchanges (CCIEE) and United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and co-organized by the government of Changxing County. Zhang Xiaoqiang, Executive Vice Chairman and CEO of CCIEE, Beate Trankmann, Representative of UNDP in China, Wang Gang, Deputy Secretary of the Municipal Party Committee and Mayor of Huzhou, Zhou Weibing, Member of the Leading Party Members’s Group of Zhejiang Provincial Development and Reform Commission and Director of the Provincial Energy Administration, and Shen Zhiwei, Deputy Secretary of the County Party Committee and Mayor of Changxing, attended the opening ceremony and delivered speeches respectively.

The Chinese side viewed that the world is now facing a major change never seen in a century, of which the issue of global warming is a serious challenge. At present, achieving green and low-carbon development is one of the important consensus of the international community. The Chinese government attaches great importance to environmental protection and low-carbon development. Especially since the 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China, China implements a new development philosophy and aims to achieve greener economic and social development in all aspects, with a special focus on developing green and low-carbon energy. We will continue to prioritize ecological conservation and pursue a green and low-carbon path for development. Last September, China announced its ambitious goals that it will strive to peak carbon dioxide emissions before 2030 and achieve carbon neutrality before 2060. China’s commitment to moving from carbon peak to carbon neutrality took a much shorter time than what many developed countries, and that requires extraordinarily hard efforts from China. At present, China has reflected the relevant arrangements in the 14th Five-Year Plan, and is working on the implementation plan of carbon peak by 2030.

The Chinese side pointed out that there is great potential for promoting low-carbon development along the Belt and Road, but also with many difficulties and challenges. In recent years, China has made great progress in engineering, equipment and technology in the fields of ultra-high voltage transmission, wind power and photovoltaic, which will have a positive impact on low-carbon development along the Belt and Road. Policy makers should identify priorities based on specific national situation and the goal of sustainable development. Promoting low-carbon development and addressing climate change should take into consideration various factors, such as science and technology, energy structure, industrial organization and resource distribution, etc. It is necessary to find a feasible path to promote low-carbon development along the route and globally in accordance with the requirements of adhering to the harmony between human and nature, systemic governance and human-centeredness as proposed by President Xi Jinping at the Leaders' Climate Summit.

Chinese side believed that there are three key paths to promote low-carbon development along the route and beyond: first, to vigorously promote clean energy technology innovation, development and transfer; second, to actively guide investment to low-carbon projects along the route; and third, to strengthen low-carbon capacity building. With appropriate supporting policies and incentives, low carbon development along the Belt and Road is expected to be achieved at low cost and high efficiency, thus promoting sustainable development in participating countries, continuously benefiting the people of all countries participated in the construction of the Belt and Road, and making a significant contribution to the global environment.

Foreign side viewed that the official entry into force of the Paris Agreement in 2016 marks a brand new stage in the global response to climate change. The Belt and Road can serve as an important platform to lead the global energy governance pattern featuring green and low-carbon development and promote energy cooperation among countries. The countries and regions along the route are among the most economically dynamic and promising regions in the world, and they are also the regions with comparatively high global carbon emission intensity, so the success of national and regional cooperation in emission reduction will play a positive role in promoting global emission reduction.

With more than a year of joint efforts, CCIEE and UNDP have completed the research report of Paving the Way for Low Carbon Development around the world and along the Belt and Road. Two sub-forums were set up in this release conference, under the themes of “Leveraging Financial Resources for Innovation, Development, Promotion and Implementation of Low-Carbon Projects” and “Promoting the Innovation, Development and Transfer of Clean Energy Technology to Enhance Low-Carbon Sustainable Development along the Belt and Road”. Around the topics, Chinese and foreign politicians and businessmen as well as experts conducted in-depth discussions and explore cooperation and development in the future. It is expected that the capacity of countries and regions along the Belt and Road to promote low-carbon development will be effectively enhanced through further efforts.