BRI drives green, sustainable development

Green development has been put on prior agenda when China implements the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), a grand vision aiming to build economic prosperity. The importance it laid on green philosophy also gains more supporters for the proposal.

The proposal raised by Chinese President Xi Jinping to establish a big data service platform on ecological and environmental protection and an international coalition for green development on the Belt and Road at the first Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation (BRF) two years ago has well illustrated such point.

The coalition envisions to build an international cooperation network that is open, inclusive and voluntary, encourage green development in Belt and Road construction, further build international consensus, and accelerate the implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development in Belt and Road countries, remarked China’s Ecology and Environment Minister Li Ganjie.

The railway linking Kenya’s largest port city Mombasa to capital Nairobi, built by Chinese company with Chinese standard, is a witness of green construction. A total of 14 structures were built along the line to help the migrating wildlife to cross the railway safely.

At the end of last year, CNN travel listed riding the new Nairobi-Mombassa train as the fifth among the 20 best things to do in Kenya.

Over 100 institutions have joined the international coalition for green development on the Belt and Road, including more than 60 governments, international organizations, international non-governmental organizations and transnational enterprises.

Vice president of the Environmental Defense Fund Zhang Jiangyu noted that the coalition gathers global consensus and wisdom, and strives for common development through coordinating the interests of each party.

Countries of the world are all seeking for new solutions to environmental issues, and the coalition helps its members join hands and implement sustainable development strategies, Zhang added.

The establishment of platforms for policy dialogue and communication, environment knowledge and information, as well as exchange and transfer of green technologies was a focus of the coalition over the past two years.

A biennial Belt and Road policy dialogue on green development and relevant thematic activities are offering opportunities for the coalition members to share experiences and seek cooperation.

Zhou Guomei, deputy director-general of the Foreign Economic Cooperation Office of the Ministry of Ecology and Environment, noted that the targeted subjects of the coalition are key environmental issues of international importance.

She said that the coalition will establish partnerships based on these subjects, and take the partnerships as a carrier to launch cooperation projects.