During the 30th Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP30), a side event titled “Promoting Green Innovation and Cooperation to Jointly Build the Green Silk Road” was held on November 12 at the China Pavilion.
Chinese and international guests engaged in in-depth discussions on the latest practices in advancing a green Belt and Road Initiative, focusing on technological innovation, green finance, and capacity building. Participants jointly explored practical pathways for promoting global green and low-carbon transition through strengthened partnerships.
Forging global consensus: cooperation and innovation as the key to overcoming global green transition bottlenecks
Participants broadly agreed that the global green transition continues to face multiple challenges, including insufficient technology supply, difficulties in project implementation, and a substantial green investment and financing gap. Strengthening innovation and open cooperation is regarded as a crucial approach to advancing the Green Silk Road. New-type international green development organizations represented by the BRI International Green Development Coalition (BRIGC), emerging as “new forces” in international environmental cooperation, will inject new momentum into achieving the Paris Agreement goals and building a clean and beautiful world.
The photo shows guests attending the side event titled “Promoting Green Innovation and Cooperation to Jointly Build the Green Silk Road” held in Belem, Brazil, Nov. 12, 2025. (Xinhua/Wang Tiancong)
Li Gao, Head of the Chinese Delegation to COP30 and Vice Minister of Ecology and Environment of China (MEE), stated that the Chinese government attaches great importance to ecological civilization construction. China has promoted the adoption, signing, entry into force, and implementation of the Paris Agreement, and has advanced coordinated efforts on carbon reduction, pollution control, ecosystem expansion, and economic growth. China has built the world’s largest clean power generation system and carbon emissions trading market, and has announced its new round of Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs).
He emphasized that China is committed not only to its own green development but also to actively participating in and leading global environmental and climate governance. Green development principles have been deeply integrated into Belt and Road cooperation, including the joint launch of the Initiative for Green Development Partnership and the establishment of the BRIGC. China has become a firm practitioner and major contributor to green and sustainable development. Looking ahead, China is willing to deepen green innovation cooperation with all partners, promote the transformation of scientific and technological achievements, and develop more demonstration projects that embody joint contribution, shared benefits, and win-win cooperation.
Photo shows the scene of the side event “Promoting Green Innovation and Cooperation to Jointly Build the Green Silk Road” held in Belem, Brazil, Nov. 12, 2025. (Xinhua/Wang Tiancong)
Jorge Moreira da Silva, UN Under-Secretary-General and Executive Director of the United Nations Office for Project Services (UNOPS), pointed out that the green transition requires not only policy direction and financial investment, but also the successful implementation of projects on the ground. He stressed that the bottleneck of global climate action is shifting from a “financing gap” to an “implementation gap,” with the key lying in improving project design, implementation, and management capacities. He noted that the BRIGC has accumulated practical experience in promoting exchanges, cooperation, and capacity building, and has become an important global platform for advancing the green transition.
Building cooperation platforms: South-South cooperation as a driver of the global green transition
Simon Stiell, Executive Secretary of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), stated that global climate governance is entering an “implementation era,” moving from planning to action. The green transition is no longer a distant goal but a new reality reshaping the global economy. He emphasized that South-South cooperation, embodied by the BRIGC is a powerful engine for this transformation, opening up new growth opportunities for developing countries.
Stiell highlighted that China’s large-scale exports of wind and solar products are making a significant contribution to global emissions reduction. Green growth is not a matter of trade-offs but a new development opportunity. To achieve a genuine green transition, he stressed, it is crucial to enable technology and finance to enter developing countries at greater scale and speed, creating projects that are investable, financeable, and implementable.
In his opening remarks, Zhao Yingmin, President of the BRIGC, noted that China is at the forefront of renewable energy and green industries, and the country has achieved significant results in ecological civilization and has announced its 2035 NDCs covering the entire economy and all greenhouse gases, demonstrating strong determination in addressing climate change. He emphasized that the Belt and Road Initiative has become the world’s largest South-South cooperation platform, and China is willing to share green opportunities and jointly promote green development with countries worldwide through international green development cooperation.
Amjad Abdulla, Director General of the Climate Change Department of the Ministry of Tourism and Environment, the Maldives, stated that China’s technologies in solar and wind power have become global leaders in clean energy by 2025. Effective cooperation depends on trust, execution, and tangible results, and China has set an example in these areas. The Maldives looks forward to leveraging the BRIGC to deepen cooperation with China across renewable energy, climate-resilient infrastructure, and other areas of the green transition.
Photo shows the scene of the side event “Promoting Green Innovation and Cooperation to Jointly Build the Green Silk Road” held in Belem, Brazil, Nov. 12, 2025. (Xinhua/Wang Tiancong)
Focusing on practical outcomes: parties call for a “platform + mechanism + project” cooperation system
Participants highly praised the work and achievements of the BRIGC since its establishment. Zhao Yingmin introduced that the BRIGC has collaborated with domestic and international partners to conduct substantial practical work addressing the key, challenging, and priority issues in green development for Belt and Road partner countries.
He highlighted that the BRIGC has established an operational framework featuring three cooperative platforms on green finance, green technology, and big data services, which are supported by two pillars namely Green Silk Road policy research and capacity building enhancement for partner countries. Within this framework, the Green Investment and Finance Partnership (GIFP) is actively expanding cooperation in areas such as green investment and financing, carbon assets, and climate-resilient infrastructure with countries including Indonesia, Singapore, Honduras, Brazil, and Thailand. The Green Low-Carbon Expert Network (GLEN) focuses on building consensus and promoting the exchange and cooperation on green technologies, facilitating the adoption of advanced green and low-carbon products and technologies in partner countries. Meanwhile, the Big Data Service Platform provides informational support and solutions for the green and low-carbon transition of partner countries.
Simon Stiell noted that the BRIGC has provided strong support for enhancing climate action capacity in developing countries and demonstrated the vast potential for countries to share technology, capital, and experience, expressing hope for even greater results in the future.
The side event also held thematic discussions on “Innovation in Climate Finance Mechanism” and “Technological Innovation and Localization,” with participants sharing breakthrough technologies in hydrogen energy, green transportation, and new energy storage, showcasing a series of systemic solutions and international cooperation cases in green energy and sustainable infrastructure.
The side event was guided by the MEE and hosted by the BRIGC, the Foreign Environmental Cooperation Center of the Ministry of Ecology and Environment (FECO), and the China Council for International Cooperation on Environment and Development (CCICED). Nearly 100 representatives from UN agencies, international organizations, and governments, enterprises, and research institutions of multiple countries attended the event.
Source:?Belt and Road Portal