Big investment on the horizon for green construction

China will invest 2.3 billion yuan ($356 million) to support construction of energy-efficient and low-carbon projects under the central budget investment plan, the National Development and Reform Commission, the country's top economic regulator, said recently.

Projects that will receive government support include those related to low-carbon renovation of key industries, optimization of energy use in industrial parks, demonstration areas of carbon reduction technology, low-carbon transition for urban and rural areas, renewable energy and desalination, as well as others that help with China's goals to peak carbon emissions by 2030 and reach carbon neutrality by 2060.

The move will prioritize projects in key areas including the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region, or Jingjinji, the Yangtze River Economic Belt, the Yellow River Basin, the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area and national pilot zones for ecological conservation.