MEP issues the Guidance on Promoting Green Belt and Road with three line ministries
Recently, Chinese Ministry of Environmental Protection, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, National Development and Reform Commission and Ministry of Commerce jointly issued the Guidance on Promoting Green Belt and Road (hereinafter referred to as the Guidance) in order to further boost green development along the Belt and Road.
The Guidance systematically expounds the importance of building green Belt and Road, and requires environment-friendly advancement in "policy coordination", "facilities connectivity", "unimpeded trade", "financial integration" and "people-to-people bonds". It firmly adheres to the philosophy of innovative, coordinated, green, open and shared development and embraces the "Silk Road Spirit" which advocates peace and cooperation, openness and inclusiveness, mutual learning and mutual benefit. The Guidance calls on countries along the routes to jointly build the Belt and Road through consultation to meet the interests of all on the basis of equality and mutual benefit. According to the Guidance, China will a) in 3-5 years, establish a pragmatic and efficient system of environmental cooperation and exchange, support and service platforms and industrial and technological cooperation bases, and formulate and implement a series of environmental risk prevention policies and measures; as well as b) in 5-10 years, set up a full-fledged environmental service, support and guarantee system, and carry out a number of important ecological projects that produce desired results. Explicit arrangements are also made to strengthen exchange and publicity, guarantee environmental safety of investment activities, build green cooperation platforms, improve policy measures, and make use of local advantages.
Joint efforts for building a green Belt and Road is an important component of the overarching design of the Belt and Road Initiative. Unveiled in 2015, the Vision and Actions on Jointly Building Silk Road Economic Belt and 21st-Century Maritime Silk Road highlighted ecological progress and made it clear to increase cooperation in conserving eco-environment, protecting biodiversity and tackling climate change and join hands to create green Silk Roads. At a symposium on the Belt and Road Initiative in August 2016, General Secretary Xi Jinping stressed to focus efforts to deepen environmental cooperation and intensify environmental protection to jointly create green Silk Road. The newly released Guidance aims to speed up the green process of the Belt and Road Initiative. Further implementation of the Guidance will effectively improve national environmental protection capacity and regional sustainable development level and help countries along the routes to accomplish the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals, thus building the Belt and Road into a bridge towards peace, prosperity and friendship.
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