China-Central Asia Clean Energy Cooperation Meeting Held Online
The online meeting "Strategic Momentum: China-Central Asia Clean Energy Cooperation" jointly organized by the Green & Smart Energy Organization, the Ministry of Investment and Foreign Trade of Uzbekistan, and the State Committee of the Republic of Uzbekistan on Ecology and Environmental Protection was held online on November 30. This was the first meeting held by an international organization aimed at promoting deepening practical cooperation on clean energy between China and Central Asian countries since the September 16 Council of Heads of State of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization held in Samarkand, Uzbekistan. The meeting was a positive response to the consensus of the 27th session of the Conference of the Parties of the UNFCCC (COP27) recently concluded in Egypt, calling for “action, not empty talk.”
Representatives of more than 40 Chinese, Central Asian and international firms and organizations attended, including UCSSIC China, China Center for International Knowledge on Development, JSC Uzbekneftegaz, China Three Gorges Corporation, Geely Technology Group, China Metallurgical Group Corporation, Cevia Enviro Inc, and Nusrai Energy.
Guo Li, Director of the China Center for South-South Industrial Cooperation (UCSSIC) of the United Nations Industrial Development Organization, shared the progress of China's projects to promote biogas and hydro-solar complementary power generation technologies in the Philippines, Indonesia and Pakistan, emphasizing that building a new partnership for sustainable development and promoting green economic recovery are major focuses of attention of the international community for the near future. He emphasized that China has great potential to strengthen low-carbon development cooperation with Central Asian countries, becoming a new model of mutually beneficial South-South cooperation.
Jusipbek Kazbekov, Deputy Chairman of the State Committee of the Republic of Uzbekistan on Ecology and Environmental Protection, wrote a special letter to the GSEO, expressing his anticipation for the introduction of China's "modern IT technology and digital solutions in environmental monitoring." At the meeting, Pulatov Bakhtiyor, Director of the Research Institute of Ecology and Environmental Protection of the State Committee of the Republic of Uzbekistan on Ecology and Environmental Protection, further expressed his desire to strengthen cooperation on sustainable development.
Liu Zhiyan, Member of the Party Working Committee and Deputy Director of the Management Committee of Xinjiang Horgos Economic Development Zone, which is in the center of the Eurasian economic region, introduced the city’s policy advantages of giving full play to its port advantages, building a two-way energy channel under the “Belt and Road” initiative, the “road-rail-sea” combined transport network and its overall industrial quality.
Zhou Taidong, Associate Researcher of the Development Research Center of the State Council of the People’s Republic of China, and Director of the Global Development Division for the China Center for International Knowledge on Development (CIKD), systematically summarized the major challenges facing the global realization of carbon neutrality, and his belief that "the development and application speed of clean technology is decisive for achieving the dual carbon goal." He delivered an in-depth interpretation of the policy measures and demonstration effects of the relevant departments of the Chinese government to strengthen top-level design, accelerate the construction of a green "Belt and Road", establish multilateral and bilateral cooperation mechanisms for green development, and focus on improving the green development capacity of developing countries.
Nigmadjanov Makhmud, Head of the Environmental and Social Governance Department of Uzbekneftegaz, the state-owned holding company of Uzbekistan's oil and gas industry and the country’s largest energy corporation, introduced the country's clean energy endowment and cooperation potential, and expressed his hope to improve the level of sustainable development cooperation with China, to help Uzbekistan achieve the goal of "reaching 30% of clean energy power generation by 2030."
Huang Junling, Director of the International Clean Energy Research Office of China Three Gorges Corporation, with a speech on “Building the 'Belt and Road' International Clean Energy Corridor," analyzed the group's focus on clean energy markets in Europe, South Asia and South America, the continuous optimization of its overseas business structure, their work in service of China’s dual carbon goals and the innovative practice of global energy clean carbon transformation. He concluded by proposing to build a multilateral exchange and cooperation platform, strengthen policy research and information exchange, and actively explore paths for the operations of Three Gorges Group in Central Asia.
Gao Pu, Vice President of Geely Technology Group, who have successfully developed an electric flying car, learned at the meeting that Geely’s New Energy Vehicles are very consistent with the national habits and market needs of Central Asia, and proposed to first communicate and demonstrate the necessity of strengthening investment and cooperation in clean energy technologies. He wishes that the GSEO will further leverage its advantages as an international platform and build more channels for China's leading companies to take action and participate in the construction of the green "Belt and Road".
