China proves economic growth and green progress can go together

An aerial drone photo taken on July 4, 2025 shows wind turbines in Longli county, southwest China's Guizhou province. [Photo/Xinhua]

More than a decade after the launch of the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), critical subprojects aimed at advancing the green transition continue to make headlines across the Global South. China's robust economic opening up, comprehensive deepening of reforms, and emphasis on a people-centered approach collectively underline the value of genuine ecological preservation.

These strengths will come full circle on Aug. 15, when the country marks National Ecology Day. The global significance of this observance – reflecting an internal and international push for a more sustainable world – is hard to overstate.

First, China's approach to carbon neutrality is a massive leap towards a sustainable future. This is evident in the country's openness to sharing clean-energy technology, which is captured amply in key partnerships like the EU-China relationship. Beijing's vocal advocacy for overhauling global climate governance, especially amid retrenchment by some powers and limited checks on multinational corporate responsibility, underscores a broader shift at home. China's capacity to nurture smart technologies – from a hypercharged electric vehicle (EV) push to improved EV access in economies as far as Africa – reflects a genuine concern for the environment.

EVs perfectly illustrate China's ability to align ecology and the economy. The global rise of a leading manufacturing power could easily be dismissed as a weak incentive for environmental progress, given past precedents of heavy industrialization with limited sensitivity to its aftereffects. But Beijing challenges that assumption by casting itself as a champion of sustainable development. As a key report to the Standing Committee of the 14th National People's Congress made clear this year, China has made considerable progress in air-quality controls and environmental protection during a period of rapid opening up. Beijing has been a firm proponent of broad climate cooperation in a changing global environment, bolstering support for the United Nations, global NGOs and key Global South partners to stress that lasting ecological change must be a collaborative effort, not a solo push.

Green-cooperation projects under the BRI framework offer further evidence of progress toward sustainable development targets worldwide. This year alone, technology and manufacturing agreements under the BRI drew more than $23 billion in new investment. China's partnerships with more than 150 countries underscore a push to share its cutting-edge innovations with foreign counterparts.

As new ventures from solar to green hydrogen gain recognition across current BRI projects, it is clear China is advancing eco-friendly infrastructure, the energy transition and livelihood improvements for a safer world. The drivers of environmental protection also have firm domestic roots. That is evident in China's sustained efforts to expand forests and grasslands and reinforce environmental red lines. Zhang Shengdong, deputy director of the Department of Ecological Protection at the National Forestry and Grassland Administration, said that over the past two years, the country has invested 57.7 billion yuan ($8 billion) and launched 369 major projects, resulting in the treatment of 8.2 million hectares of land.

For a country as vast as China, its pursuit of transformative growth under rigorous ecological standards offers lessons for the world. On the policy front, China's significant investment in R&D is further solidifying its leadership in renewable energy. The evidence is clear: Funding in clean energy has fueled breakthroughs across sectors, including solar, wind and advanced batteries. With strong domestic investment and a willingness to share sustainable innovations globally, China is emerging as a key collaborator in building a safer, more secure world.

Amid rising protectionism, uneven economic recoveries, and challenges to technology sharing and green-transition capacity, countries in the Global South need access to a clean-energy market rich in sustainable investment. This is where China's progress becomes a benchmark for trust: It is forecast to hold the largest investment share in the market by the next decade, signaling favorable implications for sustainable development beyond 2030. In a high-level dialogue last month with EU leaders on climate cooperation, Chinese officials reaffirmed the country's commitment to accelerating the global adoption of renewable energy. Beijing pledged to expand international access to high-standard green technologies and products, emphasizing affordability and accessibility for developing economies, according to a joint policy statement.

China's carbon-trading system is also undergoing a significant shift. Though the system has been in place for some time and remains central to the 2060 carbon-neutrality target, Beijing is moving to bring more industries under its ambit. By giving target industries more flexibility to acquire or trade greenhouse-gas emissions permits, the move could drive greater compliance with clean-energy goals. In addition, China plans to bolster emissions-tracking capabilities, underscoring a carbon market that phases in critical industries – including steel, aluminum and cement – while maintaining regulatory oversight to support lower-emissions growth.

This delicate balance deserves attention, given that China's carbon-trading system is a unique mechanism compared with other markets. The prospect of adding more industries signals continued expansion of the world's largest carbon-trading system. China's determination to control a wide range of emissions across sectors advances international goals for greater certainty in cutting greenhouse gases.

For carbon markets aiming to replicate similar success, lessons from China's Emissions Trading Scheme – the world's largest – offer guidance on credible regulation. They also show how to protect industrial growth while aligning with stated climate targets. Beijing's success in exporting clean-energy innovations – from solar panels to advanced EVs – has already helped many countries cut emissions. As the carbon market expands and more industries fall under its scope, environmental advocates have reason for optimism.

On China's National Ecology Day, let hard-won gains in ecological standards, green-cooperation projects, renewable leadership, EV exports and carbon-trading practices speak to a notable upward trajectory. Extending these benefits to a world in need underscores the spirit of sustainable development, from one region to another.

Hannan Hussain is co-founder and senior expert at Initiate Futures, an Islamabad-based policy think tank.

Opinion articles reflect the views of their authors, not necessarily those of China.org.cn.