Xinhua Headlines: From desert electricity to improved biodiversity, China's green transition picks up pace on policy, innovation steam

* The year 2024 has seen accelerated efforts in China's green transition, with progress made in multiple areas spanning green energy production, government planning, ecological conservation and consumption upgrades.

* China's achievements in green transition are closely tied to top-level planning, as reflected in a series of policy announcements in 2024.

* Driven by the "dual carbon" goals, China boasts vast investment opportunities in green transition, particularly in areas such as green infrastructure, green energy and sustainable lifestyles.

by Xinhua writer Zhu Shaobin

BEIJING, Dec. 27 (Xinhua) -- The year 2024 has seen accelerated efforts in China's green transition, as the world's second-largest economy continues to prioritize green growth and work toward achieving its "dual carbon" goals.

Green transition progress over the past year has spanned multiple areas, including green energy production, government planning, ecological conservation, and consumption upgrades. On the global stage, China's collaboration with partners on green transition technologies has continued to strengthen.

As China continues to pursue green and low-carbon development alongside reform strategies aimed at building a beautiful country, its actions and achievements are making a significant contribution to, and driving, the global green transition.

RAPID RISE OF WIND AND SOLAR

The vast deserts of northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, once seen as a development disadvantage, have been transformed into an asset for clean energy production with the rapid rise of green technologies.

Boasting ample sunshine and wind resources, Xinjiang's installed capacity of new energy including wind and solar hit nearly 87 million kilowatts as of the end of November this year, accounting for more than half of the region's total installed power capacity. This achievement also put Xinjiang among the top-ranked Chinese regions in clean energy production.

According to Xun Chuanbao, head of a converter station in Xinjiang's Hami, electricity from Hami reaches Zhengzhou, capital of central China's Henan Province, approximately 2,400 km away, in just about 7 milliseconds through an ultra-high-voltage direct current transmission line. Xun also noted that over 40 percent of the electricity transmitted via this line is clean energy.

Xinjiang's progress in clean energy development exemplifies China's stellar achievements in this field. According to data from the National Energy Administration, as of the end of November, total wind power installed capacity in the country reached 490 million kilowatts, rising 19.2 percent year on year, while solar power installed capacity surged 46.7 percent to about 820 million kilowatts.

Since 2013, China's wind power installed capacity has grown sixfold and that of solar power has surged more than 180 times, according to official data.

Jiang Peixue, chairman of the China Energy Conservation Association, noted that China has made significant strides in green development, with energy intensity dropping 26 percent since 2012, making it one of the fastest countries globally in reducing energy intensity.

TOP-LEVEL POLICY DESIGN

China's achievements in green transition are closely tied to top-level planning, as reflected in a series of policy announcements over the past year.

In July, the third plenary session of the 20th Communist Party of China Central Committee in a resolution decided to deepen reforms with a focus on building a "Beautiful China" through efforts that include ramping up the green transition in all areas of economic and social development and prioritizing ecological protection.

In August, detailed guidelines were released to accelerate the green transition across all areas of economic and social development, providing systematic arrangements to advance this agenda.

Southwest China's Yunnan Province, known for its rich biodiversity and warm climate, highlights local efforts to protect the ecological environment and promote the green transition. According to official data, clean energy -- comprising hydropower, solar and wind -- now accounts for over 90 percent of the province's total installed power capacity.

Since 2007, the plant and bird species along the once-heavily polluted Dianchi Lake in the provincial capital Kunming have risen to 303 and 175, respectively, while the number of fish species in the lake has increased to 26, following years of efforts to reduce pollution and restore the water quality.

"Green is the defining feature of China's development in the new era and remarkable progress has been made in the country's green and low-carbon transformation," said Tian Chunxiu, deputy director of the Policy Research Center for Environment and Economy of the Ministry of Ecology and Environment.

Speaking to Xinhua, she said that in terms of water quality, 89.4 percent of surface water bodies nationwide were classified as having "fairly good" quality in 2023.

GREEN CONSUMPTION BOOM

China's Central Economic Work Conference held earlier this month has outlined major tasks for 2025, calling for more efforts to cut carbon emissions, reduce pollution, pursue green development and boost economic growth with a concerted approach.

Xu Guangjian, a professor at the Renmin University of China, said that the key to promoting the green transition is cultivating green and low-carbon industries, developing advanced manufacturing, fostering green and healthy consumption habits, and promoting green production and sustainable lifestyles.

As a major manufacturer and consumer market for new energy vehicles (NEVs), China saw domestic NEV sales exceed 10 million units in the first 11 months of 2024, marking a 40.3 percent year-on-year increase. In comparison, exports reached about 1.14 million units, up 4.5 percent. The NEV penetration rate in the domestic market has reached nearly 45 percent for the January-November period.

A government-initiated consumer goods trade-in program has also served as a boost for green transition efforts. A wide range of consumer goods such as home appliances have seen their combined sales revenue surpass 1 trillion yuan (about 140 billion U.S. dollars) so far this year under the program, which offers consumers subsidies of up to 20 percent of the sale price in the purchase of energy-efficient products.

Fu Linghui, spokesperson for the National Bureau of Statistics, said last week that in implementing policies, China has focused on strengthening weak areas and key links while promoting green and low-carbon transformation, laying a solid foundation for sustained and healthy economic development.

"DUAL CARBON" GOALS

China has announced the "dual carbon" goals of peaking carbon emissions before 2030 and achieving carbon neutrality before 2060.

As the country makes steady progress in its green transition, it has also expressed its willingness to strengthen international cooperation by taking a leading role in the process, with the goal of promoting the establishment of a fair, equitable and win-win global environmental and climate governance system.

Kenya's leading news media Nation, in a recent opinion article, said that China has become a critical development partner in green energy transition and green development. "China is today the largest source of technologies and products needed to tap the renewables, which are critical in creating a more livable and sustainable world," the article states.

"China is now an indispensable nation for global climate efforts," and it is essentially "impossible for the world to go green without China," said Erik Solheim, former UN Under-Secretary-General, in a November interview with Xinhua.

He said that China plays an important role in the global green energy transition, accounting for 60 percent or more of global production in key green sectors, including solar, wind and hydropower, as well as electric cars and batteries.

The country has in recent years also trained more than 3,000 officials and technical personnel from more than 120 developing countries on ecological and environmental protection and addressing climate change, becoming a role model in South-South cooperation.

Looking ahead, the green transition will continue to offer growth potential and business opportunities. Zhao Chengfeng, an official with China's National Development and Reform Commission, said that driven by the "dual carbon" goals, China will have vast investment opportunities in green transition, particularly in areas such as green infrastructure, green energy and sustainable lifestyles.

(Video reporters: Sun Lei, Hua Hongli, Du Honggang, Du Gang, and Deng Haoran; Video editors: Liang Wanshan, Liu Xiaorui, Cao Ying, and Li Ziwei)■