[Unofficial translation provided by the Business & Human Rights Resource Centre]

National Development and Reform Commission and other departments issue Opinion on Promoting the Green Development of the Belt and Road Initiative

2022-03-29

[...] In order to further promote the green development of the joint construction of "Belt and Road", and make green the background colour of the "Belt and Road", with the approval of the leading group for promoting the construction of the Belt and Road, the following opinions are hereby offered. [...]

2. Coordinate and promote cooperation in key areas of green development

(4) Strengthen the interconnection of green infrastructure. Guide enterprises to promote the environmental protection standards and best practices of infrastructure, rationally select sites and routes in the design stage, reduce the impact on protected areas and ecologically sensitive and fragile areas, properly work on environmental impact assessments [...]

(5) Strengthen green energy cooperation. Deepen green and clean energy cooperation and promote green and low-carbon transformation and development of international energy cooperation. [...]

(6) Strengthen green transportation cooperation. Strengthen international cooperation in the field of green transportation, and help countries jointly build the “Belt and Road” to develop green transportation. [...]

(7) Strengthen green industry cooperation. Encourage enterprises to carry out investment and cooperation in the new energy industry, new energy vehicle manufacturing and other fields, and promote the green and low-carbon development of "going out" enterprises. Encourage enterprises to set up overseas equity investment funds focusing on green and low-carbon fields, and flexibly carry out green industry investment cooperation in various ways.

[...]

3. Coordinate and promote the green development of overseas projects

(13) Regulate overseas environmental behaviour of enterprises. Consolidate overseas corporate environmental activities as a major responsibility, guide enterprises to strictly abide by the relevant laws, regulations and standards of the host country's ecological and environmental protection, and encourage enterprises to carry out environmental protection work with reference to international standards or higher standards in China. Strengthen the capacity building of enterprises to operate in compliance with laws and regulations, and encourage enterprises to publish environmental reports on a regular basis. Guide relevant industry associations and chambers of commerce to establish a code of conduct for enterprises' overseas investment environment, and guide enterprises to standardise environmental behaviour through industry self-discipline.

(18) Improve the support and guarantee of environmental risk prevention and control for overseas projects. Guide enterprises to raise awareness of environmental risks, strengthen environmental management of overseas projects, properly perform environmental impact assessment before investment and construction of overseas projects, identify and prevent environmental risks in a timely manner, and take effective ecological and environmental protection measures. [...]