China-proposed plan adds power to Belt and Road environmental cooperation

A China proposed plan for green development under the framework of the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) is enhancing environmental cooperation between China and countries along the Belt and Road routes. The Plan of Green Silk Road Envoys is a flagship project carried out by China’s Ministry of Ecology and Environment (MEE). It aims to share China’s social and economic development, promote regional cooperation of ecological protection, enhance regional sustainable development, and facilitate the construction of a green Silk Road through capacity building and industrial cooperation. Thanks to the plan, China and the Belt and Road countries conducted in-depth exchanges in green culture, concept and policy and standard making, and carried out practical cooperation of ecological protection.

As an important practice of the Chinese government to promote global ecological progress, the Plan of Green Silk Road Envoys is offering a large number of green public products for Belt and Road countries and regions. A Chinese enterprise that plans to build a renewable resources industrial park in Southeast Asia recently reached an agreement with a Thai company to start exploratory operation. So far, they have completed the preparation work. “Thanks to the Plan of Green Silk Road Envoys, we had an in-depth understanding of the policies and demands of Thailand in the recycling economy. It has greatly facilitated the implementation of our project,” said Zhu Zhanhong, vice general manager of the company.

Last year, the Foreign Economic Cooperation Office affiliated to the MEE, the Department of Environmental Pollution Control of Cambodian Ministry of Environment, and a Chinese environmental protection engineering technology company based in Shenzhen inked a triparty agreement. The three sides will jointly establish two sewage treatment facilities, including one that treats 10 tons of sewage daily in Cambodia’s Kep Municipality, and one in Phnom Penh with a daily capacity of 5 tons. The China-ASEAN Workshop on Climate Change Policies and Actions, a meeting under the framework of the Plan of Green Silk Road Envoys, was recently held.

Deputy secretary-general of Cambodian Ministry of Environment Paris Choup noted that Cambodia has learnt many advanced experiences from China and witnessed the remarkable progress that China achieved, which is will throw some new lights on Cambodia’s future green development. Nearly 40 training and exchange activities have been conducted under the Plan of Green Silk Road Envoys since it was implemented in 2011, training over 1,000 environmental officials, technical personnel and scholars from more than 20 countries along the Belt and Road routes. The training covered broad fields including green economic policies and environmental law enforcement.

As an important participant, the ASEAN countries gives a high reputation over the plan. The ASEAN Environmental Education Action Plan 2014-2018 enacted by ASEAN countries has listed China-ASEAN Environmental Cooperation Center, one of the major implementors of the project, as its important cooperation partner. Party chief of the Foreign Economic Cooperation Office affiliated to the MEE Zhou Guomei noted that the Plan of Green Silk Road Envoys would train a batch of “green ambassadors” that have advanced concepts, broad views and rich knowledge in green development, to offer strong support to improve the capability and level of the Belt and Road environmental cooperation.

By Kou Jiangze

(People’s Daily)