Photo @Devon Rogers on Unsplash

Processing and manufacturing industrial parks are one of the most common overseas economic and trade cooperation zones in the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), and decarbonizing them presents a great opportunity for green BRI development. On August 24th, NRDC and the BRI Center of the National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC BRI Center) held a meeting to kick off a project on green and low-carbon development for processing and manufacturing industrial parks in BRI countries. The project’s objective is to help the Chinese government direct overseas investment in such parks to favor green and low-carbon development, including prioritizing environmental protection and low-carbon technology and planning. At the meeting, NRDC and NDRC BRI Center introduced a research framework and methodology and received feedbacks from officials from NDRC’s Department of Regional Openness and Department of Resource Conservation and Environmental Protection, as well as an expert from the China Chamber of Commerce for Import and Export of Mechanical and Electrical Products. As a next step, NRDC will work with the NDRC BRI Center to improve the research framework and proceed based on the experts’ feedbacks.