China praised for its green transition

China has made remarkable progress in systemic governance for its green transition, with even more expected during the upcoming 15th Five-Year Plan period (2026-30), according to international experts.

On Thursday, experts and officials from the China Council for International Cooperation on Environment and Development gathered in Beijing to share insights on China's green transition in the coming five years, contributing their expertise to sustainable development both in China and throughout the world.

Beate Trankmann, resident representative of the United Nations Development Programme in China, said the nation's green transition efforts over the next five years will not only shape its domestic trajectory, but also influence international trends.

Zhao Yingmin, a CCICED member and former vice-minister of ecology and environment, said China's experience over the past decade demonstrates that the green transition is both a challenge and an opportunity.

"It is the only policy path for the global community to address the ecological and climate crises we all face," he said.

"How the 15th Five-Year Plan is shaped is significant not only for China, but also for the world," Zhao added.

At a time when multilateralism faces challenges, China's experiences and planning provide an important answer to whether the green transition should be pursued.

According to Ren Yong, leader of the core expert group of the CCICED High-Level Task Force, assessments show that China's green transition is accelerating across the board, and green development has become a defining feature of China's high-quality economic growth in the new era.

"China's green industries have played a major role in driving GDP growth," Ren said, citing the country's world-leading renewable energy system as well as the most comprehensive and complete new energy industry chain globally. He emphasized that China's approach to green development follows a systematic "Chinese solution", integrating theory, action, institutions and capacity.

Gim Huay Neo, managing director at the World Economic Forum and CCICED special adviser, praised China for integrating energy and environmental goals into industrial policy and leveraging technology and innovation to drive the transition.

She added, "Because China's integration of energy policy into industrial policy has proven highly competitive, it should not, however, become a barrier to collaborative efforts."

China's evolving role in green transition over the past decade has made it significant for global sustainable development in the future, according to experts.

Miranda Schreurs, chair of climate and environmental policy at the Technical University of Munich in Germany, noted that as global progress in the green transition stalls, China has the potential to make it a reality.

"China plays a central role in demonstrating how green transformation can become a stronger part of the United Nations' activities," she said, while stressing the importance of multilateralism in today's world.

Dirk Messner, president of the German Environment Agency, added that China has evolved from a learner to a pioneer in green transition.

"Instead of viewing it as a zero-sum game, we can explore ways to make it a positive-sum game," he said.

Looking ahead, Ren emphasized that China should maintain its strategic resolve in promoting the green transition, which should ensure the achievement of domestic green goals while strengthening certainty in global sustainable development.

Experts also emphasized the need for a more just transition that extends the benefits of green development to a broader population.

lishangyi@chinadaily.com.cn