China's push for green technology pioneers global governance

Editor's note: High-quality development is the primary task for China to build it into a modern socialist country in all respects. Following the recent conclusion of the third plenary session of the 20th Communist Party of China Central Committee, CGTN is launching a series of special reports to illustrate how China is navigating its reform efforts to further unlock its economic potential and drive high-quality development.

For Erik Solheim, who once believed that the global powerhouses of green technology lied almost exclusively in Europe, the significant and sustained efforts that China has invested in advancing sustainable development have dramatically altered the former UN official's perspective.

"Ten years ago, if people asked me where shall I go to get the best green technology and ideas, I would always answer, please go to Brussels, to Paris and Berlin. If they ask me the same question today, I would say please go to Beijing. Or if you cannot go to Beijing, maybe you should go to Shenzhen, Hangzhou, or to Ningde," Solheim, president of the Green Belt and Road Institute and former executive director of the United Nations Environment Program, wrote in an opinion piece on CGTN.

Last month, China concluded the third plenary session of the 20th Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, during which a resolution was adopted to further deepen reforms and advance Chinese modernization. Among the various reform measures outlined, China emphasized to improve ecological conservation systems and make concerted efforts to cut carbon emissions, reduce pollution, pursue green development, and boost economic growth.

China's leadership in green technologies is reshaping both national and global economic landscapes, Solheim noted.

China's commitment to green technology is exemplified in its rapidly expanding new energy vehicle (NEV) market. Companies like BYD and Tesla's Shanghai Gigafactory are at the forefront of this transformation. BYD, one of the world's leading electric vehicle (EV) manufacturers, has seen its electric buses and cars gain widespread popularity domestically and internationally. Tesla's Shanghai facility, its largest manufacturing base globally, has significantly boosted the production and adoption of EVs​.

In 2023, China produced and sold approximately 4.5 million electric vehicles, capturing about 55 percent of the global market share. This achievement underscores China's dominant position in the EV market, with over 2.1 million public charging stations, accounting for 65 percent of the global total​.

China's strides in green technology are not limited to the automotive sector. The country has made substantial progress in renewable energy and ecological restoration.

As of 2023, China's renewable energy capacity reached 1.1 terawatts, representing around 30 percent of the global total. Notably, China leads the world in wind and solar power, with these energy sources making up 35 percent and 32 percent of the global capacity, respectively​.

Apart from China's push for relatively new technologies, other projects that have developed over time are also reaping astounding rewards. The Three-North Shelter Forest Program, initiated in 1978, has increased China's forest cover from 12 percent to 23 percent. It has resulted in over 76 million hectares of new forest, equivalent to the size of Germany​.

"From 2022, China has embarked on a new journey to pursue a Chinese path to modernization, with harmonious coexistence between man and nature an integral part of it," Ma Jun, director of the Institute of Public and Environmental Affairs, wrote in an opinion piece on CGTN.

"It will help further develop eco-civilization in China's long-term social-economic development. It will also enable China to make more input in global environmental governance and to provide more support to other countries, particularly the Global South, in their pursuits of sustainable development and common prosperity for all," Ma noted.

Such influence has extended far beyond its borders, setting the pace for global green governance. At the international level, China has actively participated in global environmental governance and cooperation.

As the chair of the Convention on Biological Diversity's 15th Conference of the Parties (COP15), China played a pivotal role in crafting the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework, earning widespread international acclaim​. "It was considered a historic moment in global biodiversity governance when all parties commit to achieve 23 targets by 2030 to address biodiversity loss, restore ecosystems and protect indigenous rights," Ma said.

In the meantime, China has issued guidelines for the environmental management of overseas investment projects, emphasizing eco-friendly practices. For instance, in the construction of the China-Laos railway, efforts were made to preserve elephant habitats by extending tunnels and building bridges instead of roads​.

At the 76th United Nations General Assembly in September 2021, China also announced it would cease building new coal-fired power projects abroad and actively support green and low-carbon energy development in developing countries​.

"Chinese modernization is the modernization of harmony between humanity and nature," according to a resolution adopted last month at the third plenary session of the 20th Central Committee of the Communist Party of China.

The document vowed to respond to climate change and move faster to improve the institutions and mechanisms for applying the principle that lucid waters and lush mountains are invaluable assets.