Editor’s note: The Communist Party of China will convene the third plenary session of its 20th Central Committee from July 15 to July 18 in Beijing to discuss the issue of further comprehensively deepening reform and advancing Chinese modernization. Reform and opening-up constitute China’s second revolution, a monumental journey of development and progress for both China and the world. This process has profoundly transformed China and significantly impacted the global landscape. CGTN First Voice has put together a six-part series “To a Brighter Future: China’s Reform and Opening Up in New Era” to delve into China’s achievements in economic, political, social and ecological domains since the reform and opening-up period, exploring the directions and measures for China’s continued comprehensive furthering of reform.
China’s pursuit of green development is not only crucial for the nation’s future but also essential for global ecological security and sustainable economic growth. Since its 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China (CPC), China has been transforming its economic growth model, championing ecological civilization, and fostering a resource-conserving, environmentally friendly society. This transformation is guided by the natural laws governing resource and environmental capacity, with sustainable development as its core objective.
A shining example of China’s green and low-carbon energy transition is the booming new energy sector in China. For a long time, Chinese consumers preferred “big brand” gasoline cars as their top choice for vehicle purchases. At that time, electric vehicles were a rare sight in city traffic as a result of “range anxiety.” However, as China advanced its ecological initiatives, numerous green industries flourished, with new energy vehicles (NEVs) leading the charge.
Driving NEVs has become a consumption trend among China’s younger generation. To them, the NEV, with zero-gravity seats and high-tech intelligent voice interaction, is not just a means of transportation but also a shelter to relax and enjoy the emission-free journey. According to the China Automobile Dealers Association, the retail penetration rate of China’s new energy passenger vehicles exceeded 50 percent in the first half of April this year, surpassing that for fuel vehicles for the first time.
The popularity of NEVs is just one aspect of China’s green boom. The country is efficiently converting natural resources into green energy. In the Gobi Desert, endless stretches of photovoltaic panels extend into the horizon; on mountains and at sea, wind turbines spin serenely; in urban and rural areas, solar panels adorn rooftops and balconies, and LED streetlights powered by both wind and solar energy line the roads.
Green technologies, spearheaded by new energy sources, have become the norm in Chinese society, driving the establishment of clean, efficient and green production methods, and facilitating the upgrade of digital, intensive and low-carbon infrastructure. China is building a massive new green development capability in areas such as green energy, transportation, and construction.
Dingdongpo wind power-photovoltaic project in Shiqian County of Tongren City, southwest China’s Guizhou Province, November 16, 2023. /Xinhua
New energy is just the beginning of China’s comprehensive green transition. Since the 18th CPC National Congress, China has strengthened its developing ecological civilization across the board, implementing holistic management of mountains, rivers, forests, farmland, lakes and grasslands. These efforts, unprecedented in scale, intensity and effectiveness, have resulted in transformative changes in ecological civilization from understanding to practice.
Babusha, located at the southern edge of the Tengger Desert, was once the largest sandstorm area in Gulang County, Gansu Province. China’s sand control workers have afforested over 133 million square meters, successfully combating desertification.
Over nearly 20 years, China’s artificial forest area has reached around 876,000 square kilometers, ranking first in the world, with China contributing about a quarter of the world’s increase in green areas. In 2023, the average PM2.5 concentration at and above China’s prefecture-level cities was 30 micrograms per cubic meter, making it the country with the fastest air quality improvement in the world. In the same year, 89.4 percent of surface water in China met or exceeded Grade III quality in the country’s five-tier water quality system, nearing developed-country standards.
China’s efforts in addressing its own environmental issues have also contributed significantly to solving global environmental problems. For instance, in global efforts to control ozone-depleting substances, China has eliminated more than 50 precent of such substances among developing countries, becoming the largest contributor to global ozone layer protection.
People are making straw checkerboard sand barriers in Gulang County, northwest China’s Gansu Province, March 6, 2020. /Xinhua
As the world’s largest manufacturer and exporter of clean energy products, China provides green products to countries with varying economic levels, resource endowments and cultural backgrounds, aiding global efforts to tackle climate change and promote green, low-carbon development. According to the International Energy Agency, China houses more than 80 percent of the global solar photovoltaics module manufacturing capacity. China’s exports of pure electric vehicles expanded by 80.9 percent, while exports of hybrids increased by 47.8 percent year on year in 2023, according to the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers.
At the 2024 China Development Forum, Ola Källenius, chairman of the Board of Management of Mercedes-Benz Group AG, stated, “China is not only the largest market for new energy vehicles (NEVs), but also an innovation hub featuring industry-leading companies and a mature NEV supply chain,” adding that he believed that the Chinese market will continue to grow and play a leading innovation role in the industry.
China’s main export markets for green products include developed economies like the U.S., Europe, and Japan, as well as emerging economies like Southeast Asia and India. Moses Nderitu, managing director of Kenyan electric bus startup BasiGo, remarked, “China is a global leader in electric mobility, inspiring African countries like Kenya in their quest for a dramatic shift to less carbon-intensive modes of transport.” In addition, he also said, “Nearly all the new energy models we have on our roads are imported from China.”
China’s efforts in developing ecological civilization have received international recognition. The core principles emphasized in ecological civilization are reflected in the United Nations’ 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. China has made active efforts toward the conclusion, signing and entry into force of the Paris Agreement, and has set an example by committing to peak carbon emissions by 2030 and achieving carbon neutrality by 2060.
China is continuing to explore the way ahead in its green development. The country’s development strategy aligns with the global call for sustainable development and low-carbon transformation. The emergence of new ideas, perspectives and concepts, represented by new productive forces, signifies that through ecological civilization construction, China is achieving ecologically harmonious growth and moving towards an ecologically prosperous society where humans and nature coexist in harmony. This ecological prosperity is not just China’s, but the shared prosperity of the entire human race.
The author Yu Xiang is director of the Climate Change Economics Research Office at the Research Institute for Eco-civilization, Chinese Academy of Social Sciences.
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