Along Kenya’s Mombasa-Nairobi Standard Gauge Railway, animals as tall as giraffes cross the railroad bridges easily through the large passages built for them.At solar farms in Pakistan’s Punjab province, plants and fruits are grown under the solar panels.These scenes not only showcase the tangible outcomes delivered under the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), but also highlight how the Belt and Road cooperation is turning the inspiring vision of green development into reality with concrete actions.
Ancient Chinese wisdom makes new contribution
A sound ecosystem is essential for the prosperity of civilization. For thousands of years, the Chinese civilization has set great store bythe idea that humanity must seek harmony withNature. Into the new era, China is committed to the principle that lucid waters and lush mountains are invaluable assets, and pursuing modernization that features harmony between humanity and Nature. Thanks to persistent efforts, incredible progress has been accomplished in its eco-environmental protection and green development endeavors.
While steadily advancing green development at home, China has exploredtocontribute its ideas and experience on green development to the Belt and Road cooperation.In 2019, at the opening ceremony of the second Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation, China made clearthat green will be a defining color of the BRI, and green infrastructure, green investment and green financing will be promoted to protect the planet we all call home. This appeal to build a green Silk Road together demonstrates China’s leadership as a major country in global eco-environmental governance, and contributes Chinese wisdom to the joint endeavor for a clean and beautiful world.
Boostingthe green development ofpartner countries
In building a green Silk Road, China has not only expressed its commitment, but more importantly,taken concrete actions. In Senegal, China takes an active part in Dakar’s wastewater treatment project to improve the water quality in surrounding areas and rehabilitatethe environment along the beaches, which benefits hundreds of thousands of residents in the bay area. In Ghana, the Sunon Asogli Power Plant project has been completed with help from China. Supporting 25 percent of Ghana’s electricity demand,the plant has alleviated electricity shortagefor local communitieswith green and clean power. In Kazakhstan, new energy projects delivered with participation of Chinese enterprises, such as the Zhanatas Wind Power Station and the Turgusun hydropower station,haveprovided a strong boost to the country’s green and low-carbon development.
As the world’s largest market and equipment manufacturer in the field of clean energy, China has conducted green energy cooperation with more than 100 countries and regions. In Belt and Roadpartnercountries,Chinese investment in green and low-carbon energy has surpassed that in traditional energy. This has promotedgreater balance betweensocioeconomicdevelopmentandeco-environmental protection, brought more opportunities for green development to participating countries and regions, and delivered green benefits to local communities.
Building closer partnerships for green development
As the world faces increasing environmental problems, green development has become a consensus of all countries. So far, China has signed 50-plus cooperationdocuments on eco-environmental protection with relevant parties, and jointly launched the Initiative for Belt and Road Partnership on Green Developmentwith 31 partner countries and the Belt and Road Initiative Energy Partnership with 32 partner countries. The Belt and Road Initiative International Green Development Coalition now has more than 100 partner institutions, and the Green Silk Road Envoys Programmehas trained more than 3,000green development professionals for 120-pluspartner countries. Ten years of steady and solid efforts have fostered ever stronger consensus among BRI participants on the importance of green development, and enabled China to build closer partnerships on green development with partnercountries.
In the future, guided by the vision of green development and supported by various cooperation platforms, this collective effort to build a green Silk Road will surely bring more benefits to people across the world and facilitate thebuilding of a community of life between humanity and Nature.