Belt and Road Initiative: A Road of Green Development for the New Era

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 by the idea that humanity must seek harmony with Nature. 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 explored to contribute 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 clear that 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.

Boosting the green development of partner 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 waste water treatment project to improve the water quality in surrounding areas and rehabilitate the 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 shortage for local communities with 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, have provided 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 Road partner countries, Chinese investment in green and low-carbon energy has surpassed that in traditional energy. This has promoted greater balance between socioeconomic development and eco-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 cooperation documents on eco-environmental protection with relevant parties, and jointly launched the Initiative for Belt and Road Partnership on Green Development with 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 Programme has trained more than 3,000 green development professionals for 120-plus partner 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 partner countries.

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 the building of a community of life between humanity and Nature.