Former UN Under-Secretary-General Erik Solheim- China Ascends as a Green Technology Leader
OnNovember6th,aparallelsessionoftheseventhHongqiaoInternationalEconomicForum,themed"PudongandtheWorld:High-StandardInstitutionalOpening-upforNewDevelopmentOpportunities"washeldattheNationalExhibitionandConventionCenterinShanghai.
ErikSolheim,recipientofthe2023ChineseGovernmentFriendshipAward,VicePresidentoftheBeltandRoadGreenDevelopmentInternationalAlliance,andformerUNUnder-Secretary-General,addressedthegathering.HeremarkedthatthefocushasshiftedfromChina’straditionaleconomicgrowthandpovertyalleviationtoprioritizinghigh-qualityandgreendevelopment,bothofwhichareessentialintoday’scontext.
SolheimemphasizedthatChinahastakentheleadingreentechnology,offeringadvanced,cost-effectivesolutions.Lastyear,China’scontributionsamountedtoone-thirdoftheglobalgreentechnologysector,markingasignificantmilestoneforthefutureofsustainabletechnology.
"Lastyear,ChinainvestedU.S.$900billion.That'sclosetosixtrillionRMBinrenewableenergies.It'sasmuchas20timestheentireeconomyofNepal,theneighborofChinaandamiddle-sizedAsiannation,20timeseverythingproducedinNepalistheinvestmentingreendevelopmentinChina.”Solheimnoted,highlightingthescaleofambition,alsomentioningthatthecapacityofthelargestsolarplantinXinjiangrivalstheentirepowergridofNigeriaandcouldpower200millionpeopleinNigeria.
Pudongstandsoutasapioneeringreentechnologydevelopment.Solheimpraisedthedistrictforitslushparksandriversidepathsthatenhancethequalityoflifeforitsresidents.Furthermore,Pudongboastsoneoftheworld’smostextensivepublictransitsystems,withaheavyrelianceonelectricvehiclesinitstaxis,buses,andnewtransitstations,whichdramaticallyreduceurbanpollutionandnoise.SolheimadvocatedforPudongandShanghaitomaintaintheirleadershipinfosteringsustainabledevelopmentnotjustinChinabutglobally.
"PudongandShanghaishouldcontinuetodevelopasagreenshowcasecityfortheworld.ShanghaiandPudongshouldbethebridgebetweenChinaandtheoutside,particularlyintheareaofbusiness.Peopleoftheworldlovegreencities.Peoplewanttoliveingreencities.Pudongisalreadygreen.AndChinesecities,byandlarge,arefantasticallygreen,"headded.
Solheimpointedoutthatregionalcooperationiscrucialforadvancingclimateactionandsustainabledevelopmentglobally.
However,hecautionedagainstprotectionism."Greencompetitionisgood.Competitionshapesinnovationandmakesusallricherandbetter.Greencompetitionisaracetothetop.However,protectionism,closedmarkets,that'saracetothebottom.Thatwillmakeeveryonepoorer,"Solheimadvised.
HerecommendedthatChinauseitstechnologicaladvancementstosupportlocalenterprisesandaidtheglobalindustry.ManytopEuropeancompanieshavealreadyoutsourcedproductiontoIndia;similarly,ChinacouldstrategicallyinvestinothermarketssuchasTurkey,Thailand,Brazil,Hungary,andUzbekistan,invitingthesenationstobenefitfromChinesegreentechnologies.
SolheimaffirmedthatChineseinvestmentsinEuropedomorethansharetechnology;theyalsogenerateemploymentopportunities.“Ofcourse,thisisnotaone-waystreet,”heconcluded.LeadersfrombothChinaandEuropeareseekingacollaborativeapproachthatpromisesreciprocalbenefits.