The combination of ancient buildings, red walls, white snow, and blue sky of the Temple at Heaven after a snowfall in Beijing creates a stunning picture, on December 17, 2023. 

In 2018, due to a job change, I came to China and became the head of the Spanish news agency Agencia EFE’s Beijing office. At the end of 2021, I made a brave move from media to college, and started my new career as a teacher at the School of Journalism and Communication at Renmin University of China, which enabled me to get closer to China and the young Chinese.

Over the past decade, China has undergone astonishing changes. Previously, the Chinese government and people were most concerned about economic growth, which sometimes came with the ecological and environmental costs. However, now this has changed dramatically. It is known to all that the Chinese government is vigorously promoting the building of an ecological civilization, which means that any political decision made by the government must be carefully considered from an ecological perspective.

Workers are busy in producing solar photovoltaic modules for export in a new energy company in Lieshan Economic Development Zone, Huaibei City, Anhui Province, on July 22, 2023.

A Role Model

During my six years of working and living in China, I have witnessed many achievements in green development. For example, China’s rapid progress in renewable energy technology, the surge in the use of new energy vehicles and pure electric buses, as well as China’s afforestation projects and the construction of sponge cities, all of which are worthy of our close attention.

In 2018, when I decided to work in China, I was worried about the air quality and feared it would affect the health of my family members. To be frank, I still remember in 2013 that the air in Beijing was really bad, and the concentration of PM2.5 in the air made people who read the news feel like they needed to wear a protective mask when going out. But now we can clearly feel the change. The number of blue sky days has increased, and air purifiers are no longer needed at home.

The government is actively addressing global climate change. China has formulated a national strategy to incorporate carbon peaking and carbon neutrality goals into the overall construction of the ecological civilization and economic and social development. We see that it is an ambitious goal. I think China is achieving these goals with a very good approach, perhaps even faster than expected.

In this regard, China has set an example for the world. Many countries are observing what China is doing, how it is making it a reality, and how it is transforming polluting and environmentally unfriendly production methods to foster a clear, clean, and sustainable economic growth model.

I have visited many cities in China, such as Shanghai, Shenzhen, and Chengdu. Whether in the urban center or suburbs, there are green parks and green plants everywhere, which ensure the quality of life for urban residents.

The polluting industries are also undergoing changes, becoming cleaner and more environmentally friendly. In China, there are a large number of green and energy-saving technology companies which help industrial enterprises adopt cleaner and more environmentally friendly technologies in their production processes. This has formed a green industry chain, where the latest technologies can be applied.

Photovoltaic solar panels and windmills are operating in the surrounding area of the town of Milagro in the Navarre Autonomous Region of northern Spain, on April 5, 2023.

Deepening EU-China Green Cooperation

In my view, China’s new energy industry has great development prospects. I have visited Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region in China, where a large array of photovoltaic panels are lined up in the Gobi Desert. Solar energy is an inexhaustible source of energy, and China’s technological development in the solar panel industry chain has greatly reduced costs. The technology and equipment in China’s photovoltaic industry chain have significant price advantages, and the country’s solar panels have been exported to EU countries. In the coastal areas of China, wind power is also widely used.

As China becomes a center for research and development, production, and supply chain of new energy technologies, some Chinese companies are providing services in the field of new energy in Europe. For example, they are building wind power plants in Europe, providing clean energy for local users, and also offering energy-saving technologies. These experiences are worth promoting. In Spain, my home country, we also have many projects related to green energy. In my hometown, in northern Spain, a power station is being built using the latest carbon capture technology. It is said that the new technology can remove 90 percent of carbon from the atmosphere. We should engage in close cooperation in this regard. Climate change is something that humanity must face up to, and active cooperation between China and Europe in this field is of great significance. These collaborations are very urgent and should not be influenced by political differences among countries.

China is also building new energy vehicle and battery production centers in some European countries. China’s new energy vehicle brand BYD is gaining increasing attention in the European market.

In 2023, China and Europe maintained active dialogue and communication. Last summer, the Fourth EU-China High-Level Environment and Climate Dialogue was held in Beijing. Last December, the 24th EU-China Summit was also held in Beijing, and both sides agreed to continue deepening cooperation in areas such as economy and trade, green development, geographical indications, intellectual property, and carbon emissions trading. I hope that the international political situation will not affect the cooperation between China and Europe at all levels and in various fields, and that this cooperation can be sustained and deepened.

Nowadays, the world is discussing the sustained driving force of economic growth, and green development, especially green technology, is undoubtedly an important driving force. The world is facing green transformation, which is also an opportunity for development. China has achieved rapid development and has also taken its technology overseas, which has been widely applied in Europe, Africa and Latin America, helping to achieve local economic transformation and development. It is particularly important to the world economy.

There are also fields such as digitalization, intelligent manufacturing, and artificial intelligence, which are deeply integrated with green technology. We can never underestimate the driving force of new technologies for future innovation and development.  

JAVIER GARCIA is former head of the Spanish news agency Agencia EFE’s Beijing office.