China’s potential for green development through trade, finance, and investment – not least through its Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) – is among the biggest in the world. — China Daily
BEIJING: The reduction of environmental risks, such as climate change and biodiversity loss, is a challenge requiring global cooperation.
The challenge cannot be overcome without active support from China, which is the world’s largest emitter of greenhouse gases and is exhibiting high vulnerability of its biological diversity.
Internationally, China’s potential for green development through trade, finance, and investment – not least through its Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) – is among the biggest in the world. China achieved an important climate milestone in September 2021 when President Xi Jinping unilaterally announced that China will stop building new coal-fired power plants abroad.
As China continues to support new domestic coal plants and hopes to peak domestic emissions before 2030, its overseas coal exit decision was not only welcome from a global climate perspective, but also surprised many international observers of the BRI.
Indeed, building a green BRI that takes climate and biodiversity, as well as overall improved social development, into its core consideration, is challenging; it will also need continuous improvement and adjustments to different realities in the BRI participating countries with varying degrees of development. — China Daily/ANN
