Forum highlights green energy partnerships amid climate challenges

Enhanced cooperation between China, Europe and Africa in new energy will not only help to address global climate change and achieve sustainable development for the three parties, but also bring stability to a volatile and uncertain world, said a top Chinese official last Saturday.

"Climate change is a common challenge facing all humanity, unilateralism is a dead end, and only collaborative efforts can effectively tackle the issue," said Liu Qibao, vice-chairman of the 13th National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference.

He spoke at the 2nd China-Europe-Africa Green Energy Development Forum, where senior Chinese and foreign officials and diplomats, as well as industry leaders, gathered in Wenzhou, East China's Zhejiang province, to discuss ways to boost green energy transition and mitigate the risks of climate change.

The forum, first held in 2022 in Hangzhou, aims to deepen partnerships between China, Europe and Africa and build a green energy development community among them to face climate-induced challenges.

In recent years, China has launched a series of green action initiatives and provided the world with clean, safe and reliable energy supply solutions through green infrastructure, green energy, green transportation, green finance and other measures, said Liu, who is also president of the China-EU Association. The initiatives include multiple bilateral and multilateral partnerships and cooperative mechanisms with Europe and hundreds of clean energy and green development projects in Africa.

However, the global warming trend has not been adequately curbed, and rising geopolitical conflicts and regional wars have posed new difficulties for some countries and regions to cope with climate change, Liu warned.

A newly released report by Tsinghua University shows that renewable energy, a critical pillar of the carbon neutrality transition, is not expanding fast enough to meet the COP28 target set in December last year, which called for a threefold increase in global renewable energy capacity by 2030.

A major obstacle, it is believed, is the seeming surge in protectionism.

With a zero-sum mentality, certain countries have taken protectionist and unilateral actions, throwing artificial blocks in the path of a global low-carbon transition, according to Liu.

"At present, green energy cooperation between China, Europe and Africa still faces challenges such as technical barriers, market access, investment and financing," said Nan Cunhui, chairman of the CHINT Group, a leading global smart and new energy solutions provider.

Both have called for a more open, inclusive and transparent market environment.

Earlier this month, the EU voted to impose tariffs on its imports of Chinese electric vehicles (EVs), a move that drew criticism from Gilles Pargneaux, a former member of the European Parliament, at the forum.

"The protectionist measure against Chinese EVs is wrong," he said, "as it goes against the Paris Agreement, which asks for communication and cooperation."

He added that Europe should not consider China an adversary; instead, it could learn from China's innovative green energy technologies and effective policies.

Protectionist and isolationist practices should be rejected for win-win cooperation, echoed Jose Zapatero, Spain's former prime minister.

"A China-Europe-Africa partnership can serve as a quintessential example of the 21st century, guiding policies and reminding us that we are building a world aimed at fostering a united community with a shared future for mankind," he said in a video speech.

A green transformation will help Africa, which is rich in renewable energy resources such as wind and solar power, eliminate poverty and reduce social inequalities with more technology transfer, financing and investment in the sector.

"Although Africa emits no more than 4 percent of the greenhouse gases, it is among the most vulnerable to climate change," said Salaheddine Mezouar, Morocco's former minister of foreign affairs.

According to the UN, rampant flooding has affected some 6.6 million people in West and Central Africa this year, exceeding last year's total for the entire year by over 40 percent.

"What is urgent becomes more urgent," he said, referring to the dire need to help Africa's green energy transition to combat climate change and its impacts, for which China has set a good example.

On top of the various projects already in place, China proposed the Partnership Action for Green Development at the 2024 Summit of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation in early September and 30 new clean energy projects.