2nd Ld-Writethru-Xinhua Insight: Int'l eco forum embraces China's "green growth"

International organizations, foreign governments and the private sector are looking for opportunities to join China's green development at an eco forum opening in southwest China's Guizhou Province on Saturday.

Under the theme "Embracing a New Era of Eco-civilization", Eco Forum Global in Guiyang City, Guizhou's capital, will see more than 1,700 delegates from across the globe discuss topics ranging from sustainable development, climate change, green energy to finance.

Three reports on sustainable energy, finance and national park management will be published during the forum, set to close on Sunday.

The environment is at the highest ever place on China's agenda, said Du Qinglin, vice chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, in a speech at the opening ceremony.

The country is trying to find new growth in eco-friendly industries, create a sustainable urbanization pattern, control pollution and remedy environmental damage, Du said.

"We expect to nurture a new competitive edge and new source of national strength through green development. Going green will be China's new path through economic new normal," he said.

The event is China's latest effort to enhance awareness of protecting the environment, after its previous economic model powered decades of explosive growth but ruined much of the country's air, water and land.

Environment Minister Chen Jining said earlier this month that "the Chinese environment is reaching or has reached its limit due to years of sprawling development at the price of the environment".

As the global economy struggles to recover, demand for "green products and lifestyle" can create new jobs and new industries, said Zhang Xinsheng, president of International Union for Conservation of Nature and general secretary of the forum.

"China has seen the chance and tried to grasp it. The government is committed to green growth and will need investment from the private sector and input from nongovernment and international organizations," he said. "A forum like this can serve this purpose."

ACTIVE INTERNATIONAL PLAYERS

The United Nations Environment Program (UNEP) was one of the first UN organizations to support and take part in the Guiyang forum, long before it was upgraded to an international event.

As the world' s second largest economy and the most populous country, China is not only economically significant but also plays a key part in the global ecosystem, said Zhang Shigang, coordinator of UNEP China Office, at the forum.

Facing the challenge of balancing modernization with environment in a short time, China will offer other developing countries a good example and possible solution if it succeeds on the "green path" , Zhang said.

"The UNEP has met a lot of its local partners at previous Guiyang forums and together we developed projects with China as well as pulled China with other countries into international projects," he said.

The forum has attracted many other international platforms such as Denmark-based Global Green Growth Forum (3GF) that focuses on private-public partnership in environment issues and Global Infrastructure Basel that focuses on sustainable infrastructure projects.

Countries like Switzerland showed great enthusiasm to meet Chinese partners. It host a special sub forum to discuss exploring business in mountainous areas, precisely catering to the forum's host province Guizhou.

Gustavo Martino, Argentine Ambassador to China, told Xinhua on the sidelines of the forum that South American countries can also benefit from China's restructuring.

Argentina, with booming eco-friendly agriculture, is not only exporting farm produce to China but also transferring agricultural technology to China, he said.

"We are transferring agricultural technology in diary products, fisheries and production of meats. In this way, China is improving its way of producing food. And China is helping us in renewable energy," he said.

KEEN PRIVATE COMPANIES

Trina Solar, a Chinese photovoltaic system supplier, is looking for more government support for its research and development at this forum.

Colin Yang, the company's vice president, told Xinhua that the government support played a key part in pulling the photovoltaic industry through its difficulties in 2011 and 2012 but as a renewable energy sector, the industry still needs more support.

"We have a lab on photovoltaic technology sponsored by the Ministry of Science and Technology. It has produced good research findings. We are expecting more cooperation in this aspect," he said.

Huawei, the leading IT firm, on the other hand, is promoting its energy-efficient products.

David Harmon, the company' s vice president of global public affairs, fluently elaborated how much its wireless products save energy and how much emission they have cut as well as Huawei's program to encourage their suppliers to be energy efficient.

"It is very clear that Chinese government is taking the issue of green technology very seriously indeed. One of the points raised at the forum is that there are very strong commercial opportunities from the development of green technology," Harmon said. Endit