Belt and Road forum builds consensus on green, sustainable development

BEIJING - Green development was part of the consensus reached by countries attending the Second Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation (BRF) in Beijing.

At the forum, a series of cooperative documents on the joint pursuit of green development was signed, highlighting the focus on sustainability of the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI).

"The Belt and Road is not just a road of prosperity, it is also a road of green development," said China's Minister of Ecology and Environment Li Ganjie at a thematic forum of the BRF.

At the thematic forum, a proposal on green cooling was raised, which tries to enhance policy and standard coordination as well as technology exchanges among Belt and Road countries in the air conditioning industry.

"The demand for cooling has been growing for people in countries and regions along the Belt and Road, posing potential environmental challenges that need to be addressed through collaboration," said Zou Ji, president of the Energy Foundation China, which helped initiate the proposal.

China has called for advancing the BRI through open, green and clean approaches and achieving the development featuring high standards, livelihood improvement and sustainability.

"The Belt and Road Initiative pursues the vision of green development and a way of life and work that is green, low-carbon, circular and sustainable," read a report published this month on the progress, contributions and prospects of the BRI.

The commitment to green development in the BRI has attracted more global companies and associations to participate in the BRI.

Mohamed Helal, vice president of Gizatec, an Egyptian company that focuses on eco-friendly fertilizer technology, said the BRI has provided a platform for companies with different advantages to work together to address environmental challenges.

"It is important that countries can form strategic alliances through the Belt and Road Initiative to work on developing eco-friendly and low carbon emission technologies that are committed to climate change issues. These technologies are always found to be economical and more effective," said Helal.

Davide Cucino, chairman of the China-Italy Chamber of Commerce, said that he is glad to see the forum put a lot of emphasis on high-quality development of the BRI.

"High quality implies sustainability. We are not only talking about environmental and economic aspects but also social sustainability. These are the values we need to share when we do business," Cucino said.