Thumbs Up for Green BRI
By?LI?Linxu
Green BRI has become an important aspect for implementing the Global Development Initiative, the Global Security Initiative, and the Global Civilization Initiative, which is lauded for its success around the world.
Promoting green development
During the third Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation (BRF), China unveiled eight major steps to support high-quality Belt and Road cooperation, including promoting green development.
BRI demonstrates that we have a historic opportunity to build modern, green cities, communities, and transportation and power systems that place resilience and sustainability at the heart, said UN Secretary -General Antonio Guterres.
He sees the BRI's potential to make valuable contributions in two key areas of action, that is, by advancing economic sustainability in developing countries and by advancing environmental sustainability.
"The Green Silk Road is an important tool that can help us all pull us out of the dead ends of the past, and set us on a new pathway that benefits people and the planet alike," added Guterres.
Over the past decade, China has always adhered to green development, strengthened international cooperation in the field of ecological and environment governance, biodiversity conservation and climate change, committing to building an ecological civilization where human and nature live in harmony.
As the BRI celebrates its 10th anniversary, we recognize not just the successes that BRI has made on numerous fronts, including renewable energy, infrastructure and commerce, but also the growing understanding of our shared responsibilities towards the planet, Jean-Paul Paddack, executive director of network development of WWF (World Wide Fund for Nature) International, told Science and Technology Daily (S&T Daily).
Moving forward, it is imperative to recognize that the promise of BRI extends far beyond infrastructure and trade, said Paddack, noting that BRI represents an unparalleled opportunity to champion green and low-carbon development on a scale never seen before.
Together, BRI can contribute significantly to forging an era of sustainable development and leave a legacy of a thriving, green and harmonious world, added Paddack.
The Soubre hydroelectric power station in C?te d'Ivoire. (PHOTO: XINHUA)
Committed to green cooperation
China has signed more than 230 documents regarding BRI cooperation with more than 150 countries and 30-plus international organizations, and the Green Silk Road cooperation is a major part of all those documents.
There has never been such an initiative as the BRI that can bring together more than 150 countries, said Dilma Rousseff, president of the New Development Bank (NDB), noting that BRI and BRF will play an important role in global sustainable development and green development.
It is necessary for all countries to address common challenges with collective action amid the current international situation, said Rousseff, adding that BRI has become the world's largest cooperation platform among countries, and NDB is willing to actively participate in Belt and Road cooperation.
During the third BRF, China pledged to deepen cooperation in areas such as green infrastructure, green energy and green transportation, and step up support for the BRI International Green Development Coalition.
The BRI is a development initiative that aligns with Kuwait Vision 2035, Khaled A. Mahdi, secretary general of Kuwait's Supreme Council for Planning and Development, said to S&T Daily, adding that Kuwait is looking forward to strengthening cooperation in areas such as infrastructure and green economy under the BRI framework.
Chad is interested in enhancing cooperation with China in the fields of infrastructure, energy, and renewable energy, A. Hamit E. Ali Moutaye, delegate from the office of Prime Minister of Chad, told S&T Daily, while speaking highly of China's newly unveiled eight major steps to support high-quality Belt and Road cooperation.
Looking into the future, China will continue to make green a defining feature of Belt and Road cooperation, said Zhou Guomei, director general of the Department of International Cooperation, Ministry of Ecology and Environment, pledging to pool resources, technologies and efforts from all sides, and integrate the concept of green, low-carbon, and sustainable development into all areas and all processes of Belt and Road cooperation.