Silk Road of Green Development

Environmental protection is a common concern of humanity. Addressing the Legislative Chamber of the Uzbek Supreme Assembly on June 22, 2016, President Xi Jinping emphasized the need to strengthen cooperation in environmental and ecological protection, so as to build a Silk Road of green development.

This idea had previously been affirmed by the Chinese government in a white paper entitled Joining Hands to Build a Silk Road Economic Belt and a 21st-century Maritime Silk Road – Vision and Actions. The document highlights the importance of a green, low-carbon approach to building and operating infrastructure, taking into full account the imperative to mitigate the impact of climate change. It encourages joint efforts to build a Silk Road of green development by integrating ecological considerations into trade and investment strategies, and expanding cooperation in protecting the environment and biodiversity and addressing climate change.

Contributing to the goal of sustainable development, and informed by the concept of environmentally friendly development, the Silk Road of green development initiative calls for a careful balance between economic growth and environmental protection, with due consideration given to the ecological carrying capacity of the countries concerned. Ecological protection, prevention and control of desertification, and clean energy, among others, already feature prominently in strategic planning exercises for implementing the Belt and Road Initiative. The prospects for a Silk Road of green development look bright.

綠色絲綢之路

環境問題是人類社會面臨的共同問題。2016年6月22日，習近平主席在烏茲別克斯坦最高會議立法院發表演講時指出，要著力深化環保合作，踐行綠色發展理念，加大生態環境保護力度，攜手打造綠色絲綢之路。此前中國公布的《推動共建絲綢之路經濟帶和 21 世紀海上絲綢之路的愿景與行動》也明確提出，強化基礎設施綠色低碳化建設和運營管理，在建設中充分考慮氣候變化影響，在投資貿易中突出生態文明理念，加強生態環境、生物多樣性和應對氣候變化合作，共建綠色絲綢之路。綠色絲綢之路體現了可持續發展的理念，它要求在“一帶一路”建設中秉承綠色和環保理念，正確處理經濟增長和環境保護的關系，充分考慮沿線國家的生態承載能力，共建一個良好的生態環境。“一帶一路”建設已將生態環保、防沙治沙、清潔能源等列為重點發展產業，綠色絲綢之路面臨發展良機。