China's push toward green future praised

Global experts have acknowledged China's efforts, commitment and vision for a green transition and building an eco-friendly economy. At the two-day 2025 Annual General Meeting of the CCICED in Beijing, they called on the country to contribute its wisdom and assume responsibility in leading global environmental governance.

Chinese Vice-Premier Ding Xuexiang said that since the beginning of the 14th Five-Year Plan period (2021-25), China has treated the promotion of harmony between humanity and nature as an inherent requirement of the Chinese path to modernization. The country has consistently maintained a strategic resolve in building an ecological civilization and has made significant strides toward realizing a "Beautiful China". It has also proactively shouldered its responsibilities and demonstrated the commitments of a major nation, further enhancing its leading role in global environmental governance.

He made the remarks on Thursday at the closing ceremony of the meeting of the China Council for International Cooperation on Environment and Development, which gathered around 400 scholars and experts from home and abroad.

Ding emphasized that China will further accelerate the green transformation of its development model and is willing to strengthen solidarity and cooperation with all parties to build a clean and beautiful world.

He said China is committed to following the path of green and low-carbon development, tailoring green productivity initiatives to local conditions. The country will also uphold multilateralism by fully implementing the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change and the Paris Agreement. By doing so, China aims to collaborate with the international community to address environmental challenges and climate crises, as well as deepen cooperation in areas such as biodiversity conservation and plastic pollution control.

The Chinese government will continue to vigorously support the growth and development of the CCICED, contributing more wisdom to strengthening China's ecological civilization and advancing global sustainable development, Ding added.

Kristin Halvorsen, director of the CICERO Center for International Climate Research in Norway, said this year's draft policy recommendations put forward at the meeting were "both comprehensive and concrete on actions needed for fulfilling the NDC commitments, biodiversity conservation and on instruments for green market developments".

Halvorsen spoke highly of China's new Nationally Determined Contribution commitments for 2035 announced last month, which "show that the green transition is happening right here, based on renewable energy, electric transportation and other low-emission technologies".

"It is a very clear signal that the future is green and there is no return," she said. "The United States is now leaving the Paris Agreement, and we value even more the steady course of China."

Achim Steiner, former administrator of the UN Development Programme, said China is using its everyday decisions to answer what a green transition and future economic pathway look like.

Steiner praised China's green financial system, stressing the importance of practical actions and supporting measures alongside institutional establishment.

"We need to find new platforms through which to demonstrate the shared interest in advancing together on the green transitions — whether it is the vision that China has articulated of ecological civilization or a circular economy," he said.

Inger Andersen, undersecretary-general of the UN and executive director of the UN Environment Programme, expressed appreciation for China's continued commitment to advancing talks of the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee on Plastic Pollution.

Andersen highlighted China's strong leadership in nature and biodiversity conservation, noting the ambitious targets set in the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework proposed at COP15 under the Chinese presidency.

She recommended that China consider exploring targets for reducing coal, fossil fuels and methane emissions in its 15th Five-Year Plan (2026-30). She added that such moves "could truly help accelerate the green transition, strengthen energy security and drive economic growth, setting a pace that the world can follow".

"We cannot underestimate China's role in multilateral fora, as well as the ongoing work in South-South cooperation that China is leading," Andersen said.