Singaporean minister hails China's green progress at BRI seminar

The Belt and Road Initiative has great potential to champion environmental protection and climate action, alongside economic, social, and cultural development, a Singaporean official said.

Amy Khor, Singapore's senior minister of State for sustainability and the environment, made the remarks in Beijing on Tuesday at the Seminar on Building New Vision for the Green Silk Road.

The event was hosted by the BRI International Green Development Coalition and Foreign Environmental Cooperation, an affiliate of China's Ministry of Ecology and Environment.

Khor lauded China's achievements in green development and the progress in related Sino-Singaporean cooperation.

"Over the course of my career, I have visited China often and participated in many bilateral activities," she said. "One thing I noticed is the astonishing progress made by China on the sustainability front."

China was now a renewable energy giant and a growing environmental leader on the global stage, Khor said.

Seven of the world's 10 leading photovoltaic module producers were based in China, China was the largest producer of renewables, and new Chinese projects had contributed 80 percent of the world's additional wind power capacity in 2021, she said.

China was also the global leader in electric vehicle production, Khor said, accounting for more than half of total output.

On the climate front, China's declaration that it would see carbon dioxide emissions peak before 2030 and reach carbon neutrality before 2060 would move the needle on global efforts to tackle climate change, she added.

International partnerships were crucial to address the adverse impacts of climate change, she said, stressing that would require a stable global order in which countries could cooperate productively and resolve disputes peacefully.

Singapore had worked closely with China to contribute to global green development, she said, citing the Sino-Singapore Tianjin Eco-city as an example. Construction of the eco-city began on former wasteland in Tianjin in September 2008.

The site had now been transformed into a green, livable and smart township of more than 100,000 people, she said.

No country would be able to achieve its climate ambitions by going it alone, Khor said, adding that in the push for a greener world, there was an urgent need for collaboration with like-minded partners and the promotion of a regional architecture that facilitated inclusive and sustainable development.

"There are many opportunities ahead for all of us, governments and businesses alike, and I hope that we will take advantage of them to build a more sustainable world and a greener silk road together," she said.