The serious environmental problems facing many developing countries have presented humankind with one of its key challenges. Could the "Belt and Road" Initiative provide a means of halting ecological degradation on the earth?
Balancing the demands of economic development with environmental responsibility is a daunting task. However, China's extensive experience in combining its surging economic growth with action to prevent it from damaging the environment could help make the "Belt and Road" Initiative a powerful weapon for preventing further harm to the fragile ecosystems across Asia and Eastern Europe.
There is no doubt that the current Chinese government takes this matter very seriously. At the very outset of President Xi Jinping's administration in 2012, promoting and achieving a greener and cleaner form of economic growth was adopted as one of the five core policies. Not only that, but this has been seen as intrinsically linked with global concerns. As President Xi pointed out in the report of the 19th National Congress of Communist Party of China in 2017, this is not only vital for China but also affects the "shared destiny of humanity".
So, can China's "Belt and Road" Initiative become the "International alliance for green development" President Xi Jinping has proposed? There are already promising signs that this process is under way.
Chinese companies have learned at a tremendous speed about how to combine industrial efficiency with effective environmental controls. One of China's Western neighbors, Kazakhstan, is a country with a fragile ecosystem that experienced serious problems in the last century, and therefore enforces strict laws designed to promote sustainable development. Despite this rigorous legislation, the China National Petroleum Corporation (CNPC) has won widespread praise and numerous awards for the environmental and social awareness and sustainable development of its oil exploration projects in this country. This is just one example of how Chinese organizations are implementing greener policies.
As the construction of the "Belt and Road" develops, China's investment in projects beyond its borders will not only spread economic prosperity more widely within China and the countries it links together, but show how economic construction can be fully harmonized with ecological sustainability.
Forge an alliance
We need to forge an alliance between them and the workers.
Ecological degradation
At present, regional poverty and ecological degradation form a vicious circle.
Daunting task
They were faced with the daunting task of restoring the house.
Surging economic growth
Surging economic growth in China pushed world steel production up by one third in the last five years, exceeding the billion-ton threshold for the first time in 2004.
Intrinsically linked
These social determinants are intrinsically linked to inequities in health and help explain why poor and marginalized people get sick and die sooner than those in better social positions.
Promote sustainable development
China and the UK pledge to enhance co-operation on international economic problems and to promote sustainable development.
Adapted from the article "The implementation of the 'Belt and Road' Initiative should be guided by the principle of green development" published on the Taihe's wechat account on 15 May 2018.
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