Recently, a China-Europe (Central Asia) freight train carrying 50 standard containers of photovoltaic modules departed from Wuhan, China, and headed west all the way to Tashkent, the capital of Uzbekistan. This is the first time a dedicated photovoltaic train of the Central Asia freight service has operated in Wuhan; it will further stabilize the supply chain for Chinese enterprises participating in the construction of photovoltaic projects in Central Asia and promote China-Central Asia green cooperation.

In recent years, from undertaking green energy infrastructure projects, to promoting water-saving irrigation technology in agriculture, and to participating in the ecological management of the Aral Sea, China has helped Central Asian countries in their energy transition and ecological and environmental protection. Green has become a distinctive底色 (defining color) of the Belt and Road cooperation jointly built by China and Central Asian countries.

　Fruitful results

Energy cooperation has always been a key area of China-Central Asia cooperation. Today, China-Central Asia energy cooperation is full of green.

Central Asia is rich in renewable energy such as wind, solar and hydropower, with huge development potential. In Kazakhstan, by the end of 2022, the total installed capacity of a series of renewable energy projects invested and participated in by Chinese enterprises, including the Zhanatas wind farm, the Turgusun hydropower station and the Akmola region wind power station, exceeded 1,000 megawatts. In Uzbekistan, the Samarkand 220 MW AC photovoltaic project, contracted by a Chinese enterprise as general contractor, is expected to meet the electricity demand of 264,000 local households and reduce carbon dioxide emissions by about 237,000 tons per year.

In the development of oil and gas resources, Chinese technology helps Central Asian countries carry out cleaner production, reduce pollutant emissions and promote the low-carbon transformation of traditional energy industries. At the Shymkent oil refinery, jointly upgraded by China and Kazakhstan, the catalytic cracking unit adopts the world's advanced Belco flue gas desulfurization technology; the sulfur recovery unit adopts the low-temperature Claus sulfur recovery process with independent intellectual property rights owned by CNPC. These two items alone can reduce sulfur dioxide emissions by 15,100 tons per year.

"The accelerated construction of renewable energy projects and the emphasis on environmental protection in traditional energy development have made green a major highlight of China-Central Asia energy cooperation. In addition, Chinese new energy vehicles are favored by people in Central Asia; some Chinese automakers have also gone to Central Asia to build factories and cooperate with local enterprises on localized production," Yang Jin, deputy director of the Central Asia and Caucasus Research Office of the Institute of Russian, Eastern European and Central Asian Studies at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, said in an interview with this newspaper.

The "Aral Sea crisis," which has lasted for decades in Central Asia, has attracted global attention. In terms of ecological management of the Aral Sea, China-Central Asia cooperation has achieved notable results.

The Aral Sea is located in the border area between Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan. Xu Tao, deputy director of the Eurasian Social Development Research Institute of the Development Research Center of the State Council and director of its Central Asia Office, analyzed that under the influence of global warming, glaciers in Central Asia are melting faster and river evaporation is increasing, causing a reduction in the water volume of the Syr Darya and Amu Darya, the main water sources of the Aral Sea. In addition, factors such as excessive human development for irrigation, the construction of canals, and the surge in industrial and urban water use have left the Aral Sea, once the fourth-largest lake in the world, facing a severe ecological crisis. Data show that the area of the Aral Sea has now shrunk by more than 90 percent compared with 1960, and large areas of the lakebed have become bare land and saline soil, or are covered by salt crusts.

Chinese technical experts believe that the "Aral Sea crisis" is essentially a problem of the drying up of an inland lake, and that the management approach should adhere to both water conservation and ecological restoration. In recent years, from setting up automatic meteorological and water quality monitoring networks in the Aral Sea basin, to planting halophytes to reduce the salt content of local land, from promoting water-saving sprinkler and drip irrigation technology, to jointly building big data analysis centers and joint laboratories with local universities, the "Chinese solution" for managing the Aral Sea ecology has been recognized and welcomed by Central Asian countries.

　　Two-way engagement

In recent years, China has strengthened ecological and environmental protection and governance and accelerated the green and low-carbon transformation of its development model. At the same time, China has actively worked with Belt and Road partner countries to build a "Green Silk Road," providing experience and pathways for partner countries to promote environmental protection, respond to climate change and implement the UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

Central Asia is the place where the Belt and Road Initiative was first proposed and is a demonstration area. The relevant policies of Central Asian countries for developing a green economy coincide with the concept of jointly building the "Green Silk Road." For example, the Kazakhstan-2050 Strategy proposes vigorously developing new energy such as wind and solar power; Uzbekistan has issued the Strategy for Transition to a Green Economy for 2019-2030; Turkmenistan's Renewable Energy Law emphasizes the effective use of renewable energy and the realization of energy diversification and sustainable development; and Kyrgyzstan has promulgated the Green Economy Development Program (2019-2023), which focuses on areas such as green energy, green agriculture and green industry.

"The vigorous development of China-Central Asia green cooperation is driven by two factors," Yang Jin analyzed. First, the development strategies are aligned, and both sides share the vision of developing a green economy and enhancing sustainable development capacity; second, the two sides are highly complementary. Central Asian countries are rich in traditional energy reserves and have great potential for renewable energy development, and they generally have a strong demand for transitioning from an extensive, high-energy-consumption development model to a green and low-carbon economy. China has a vast energy consumption market and the need to carry out green international cooperation. China has technological advantages in the development of industries such as solar power, wind power, hydropower and electric vehicles, and has the ability to help Central Asian countries achieve green transformation. China-Central Asia green cooperation is based on aligned concepts and complementary advantages, and also conforms to today's major global trend of green development.

Xu Tao pointed out that technological cooperation plays an important role in China-Central Asia green cooperation. Central Asia and northwest China share certain similarities in climate, landforms and resource endowments. China's advanced technologies in renewable energy development, water-saving irrigation and green agriculture can be well applied to green development in Central Asia. He shared a project he had once visited: the Shanghai Cooperation Organization Agricultural Technology Exchange and Training Demonstration Base in Yangling, Shaanxi. The base focuses on agricultural development in arid and semi-arid areas and, relying on resources from universities such as Northwest A&F University, provides technical assistance to Central Asian countries and promotes water-saving technology, which has been recognized by Central Asian countries.

"China is a global leader in using green technology to reduce carbon emissions and promote sustainable development," said Djoomart Otorbaev, former prime minister of Kyrgyzstan. He believes that China's efforts to promote green transformation and the solutions it has adopted will benefit Central Asia.

　　Mutual benefit and win-win results

China and Central Asian countries are friendly neighbors and comprehensive strategic partners. In recent years, as China-Central Asia cooperation in various fields has deepened and become more substantive, the top-level design for green cooperation between the two sides has become increasingly complete.

In June 2022, in the joint statement of the China+Central Asia foreign ministers' meeting, cooperation on ecology, environmental protection, water resources and green development was an important part, which also emphasized support for multi-field international cooperation including saving the Aral Sea; the 2023 Xi'an Declaration of the China-Central Asia Summit clearly emphasized expanding cooperation in emerging fields such as the green economy, accelerating green infrastructure connectivity, strengthening cooperation on renewable energy such as hydropower, solar and wind power, actively developing smart agriculture, and strengthening the application of water-saving, green and other efficient technologies and exchanges of advanced experience.

"In multilateral cooperation mechanisms such as the Belt and Road Initiative, the China-Central Asia Summit and the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, carrying out green cooperation and developing a green economy are among the important contents. These cooperation mechanisms provide important platforms for China-Central Asia green cooperation to conduct dialogue and reach consensus," Yang Jin said. China-Central Asia cooperation has always adhered to the principles of mutual respect, good-neighborly friendship, pulling together in times of difficulty and mutual benefit and win-win results, and the same is true in the field of green development. This is an important foundation and prerequisite for green cooperation between the two sides.

Xu Tao pointed out that green development is one of the eight actions announced by China to support high-quality Belt and Road cooperation. As China-Central Asia cooperation becomes increasingly deep, China's proposal to jointly build the "Green Silk Road" comes at the right time. In recent years, the "Green Silk Road" has been gradually advanced and implemented in Central Asia, bringing benefits to the people of Central Asia, responding to the development needs of the region, and being recognized by local governments and people. China-Central Asia green cooperation has good market benefits and broad prospects, and will add more new momentum to China-Central Asia Belt and Road cooperation.

Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev said at the High-Level Forum on Green Development of the Third Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation that Uzbekistan hopes to carry out international cooperation under the framework of the "Green Silk Road" and is willing to further deepen green cooperation with Belt and Road partner countries and lay the foundation for a green future for humanity.

"China and Central Asian countries are constantly expanding the fields and scope of green cooperation. At present, cooperation between the two sides in areas such as the digital economy, cross-border e-commerce and tourism is also deepening, and these all fall within the scope of jointly building the 'Green Silk Road,'" Yang Jin believes. In the future, the huge potential of China-Central Asia green cooperation remains to be tapped and is expected to inject new impetus into the economic development of both sides and cooperation in more fields.