Building climate resilience through Asia-Pacific cooperation

As member economies gear up for APEC 2025 South Korea under the theme "Building a Sustainable Tomorrow: Connect, Innovate, Prosper," climate governance has taken center stage in regional cooperation efforts.

In January 2025, Tsinghua University School of Economics and Management and the Korea Insurance Research Institute, together with Korea University, Ewha Womans University, Seoul-based reinsurance company Korean Re and Pohang University of Science and Technology, jointly launched the Industry-Academia-Research Alliance on Climate Risk Management.

The alliance focuses on climate-model development, risk-sharing mechanisms and talent training.

It provides a new platform for academic and industry cooperation in East Asia, enhancing dialogue on climate risk governance and contributing research-based solutions for global climate resilience. 

Complementing these efforts, the APEC Bio-Circular-Green (BCG) Award highlights the region's drive for innovation-based low-carbon growth.

Co-proposed by Canada, China and Thailand, the BCG Award was launched in 2022, recognizing women, youth and micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) who apply replicable BCG economy approaches.

Winners of the 2025 BCG Award will be announced at the APEC Ministerial Meeting in late October in Gyeongju, South Korea.

Regional cooperation on climate innovation also extends to practical technology exchange. In June 2025, the China-South Korea environmental technology exchange meeting was held in Yancheng, east China's Jiangsu Province.

Themed by "Green, low-carbon transition of the environmental protection industry," the meeting gathered government and business representatives to discuss air-pollution control, wastewater treatment and ecological restoration.

Twelve Korean companies visited Yancheng Environmental Protection Science and Technology City to explore partnerships with Chinese research institutes.

The event showcased how technology collaboration can boost the green transition of local industries and advance sustainable development.

APEC member economies have been building a cooperative network that links climate research, business and policy. These joint efforts reflect a shared commitment to resilience and sustainability in the Asia-Pacific region.

(Cover: Yalong Bay, Sanya, Hainan Province, south China. /CGTN)