Fertile ground

Green cooperation has become an essential and growing part of China-Africa relations

Africa is facing challenges such as climate change, threats to biodiversity, intensifying desertification, and increasing frequency of extreme weather events. The global energy supply-demand landscape has been affected by the Russia-Ukraine conflict, which has created significant challenges and brought increased uncertainties to global climate governance and exacerbated poverty and economic vulnerability in Africa.

According to a study by the International Monetary Fund, rising global temperatures could lead to a reduction in the GDP of African countries by 2.25 percent to 12.12 percent, depending on the extent of climate change. Another study found that nearly half of the countries in Africa are susceptible to the impacts of extreme weather on their GDP. The World Bank states that African countries hit by extreme weather conditions could see their poverty rates jumping from 64 percent to 79 percent, and their actual GDP growth rate could drop from the estimated 4.7 percent to 2.4 percent.

Additionally, Africa is grappling with issues such as soil erosion, salinization and declining soil fertility, with around 20 percent of its land area, or 6.6 million square kilometers, undergoing degradation. Glacier melting has also become a challenge, with famous high-altitude ice caps in Zambia and Zimbabwe shrinking. Environmental degradation not only directly harms Africa's natural resources and biodiversity but also leads to reduced food production, increased regional conflicts, the spread of infectious diseases and terrorism. The impoverished population has also been on the rise. Some African countries are also facing electricity shortages, with the International Energy Agency saying in a report released in June 2022 that there has been a rise of 25 million people without access to electricity in Africa since 2021. This can be attributed to the COVID-19 pandemic and the various crises it has caused. According to research by the African Development Bank, the GDP of South Africa was down by 2 percent to 4 percent each year due to power shortages.

Given the urgent need for green development in Africa, green cooperation has become a crucial part of China-Africa relations. Under the framework of the Global Development Initiative, China and African countries have engaged in extensive cooperation to enhance Africa's resilience and capacity for green development.

In addressing climate change, China and African countries have strengthened cooperation in areas such as meteorological monitoring, disaster prevention and reduction, water resource utilization, desertification control, land degradation, and drought prevention. Beijing has also supported African nations in protecting the ecology, environment and biodiversity, constructing a "Green Great Wall" in Africa, and assisting African countries in enhancing their climate adaptation capabilities. China has already initiated joint projects with several African countries to address climate change, including the construction of low-carbon demonstration zones and climate adaptation demonstration zones in countries such as Seychelles, and a total of 38 climate mitigation and adaptation projects in countries such as Ethiopia.

In terms of energy structure adjustments, there is a diverse level of development and energy needs among African countries. China is offering its assistance to the nations in developing clean energy sources such as solar, wind, biogas, and geothermal, supporting them in enhancing their self-development capabilities and the stable supply of power to remote areas. According to data from the International Energy Agency, China undertook power generation projects in 24 sub-Saharan African countries in 2019, with 49 projects expected to be completed by 2024, mostly renewable energy projects. The projects will constitute 20 percent of the region's installed capacity during that period.

In terms of economic and trade cooperation, the list of outcomes released during the Global Development High-Level Dialogue, hosted by China in June 2022, included 32 items for China-Africa green cooperation. China-Africa cooperation is now expanding in the field of green finance, effectively guiding market resources toward energy conservation and environmental protection. On Feb 9, 2022, the Johannesburg branch of the Bank of China successfully completed a $300 million green bond issuance, the first green bond issued by a Chinese financial institution in Africa, marking the significant enriching of China's green financial product system and promoting sustainable development.

There is still ample room for the development of China-Africa green cooperation, in spite of the outcomes already achieved.

First, both sides can refine their green concepts and jointly pursue sustainable global development. Both China and Africa need to effectively manage their differences and the interference from external geopolitical factors and objectively evaluate and recognize the achievements and positive contributions made by both sides in addressing climate change. It is essential to promote the construction of mechanisms and platforms and formulate a road map for cooperation and development. When providing aid to Africa, China can appropriately add green conditions to promote the application of green technologies and the transition to a green economy in recipient countries, creating more opportunities and space for China-Africa green cooperation.

Second, the two sides should develop green technology and actively integrate themselves into the global innovation network. China and Africa should concentrate their efforts on conducting cooperation in a more precise manner in alignment with the needs of African nations and China's technology strengths, on the basis of expanding financial investments. Leveraging digital technology advantages, both sides can explore new models of cooperation. It is important to build an information-sharing platform, develop a catalog for demand and supply in the cooperation process and digitize green technology cooperation projects to ensure that supply can match demand. Improving the intellectual property governance system and formulating stable and secure cooperation rules are crucial. China and Africa can pilot the establishment of unified intellectual property standards and create intellectual property rules through non-market mechanisms, such as establishing a green patent assistance or patent-sharing platform, to attain the governance on the intellectual property of green technology cooperation.

Third, it is important to spur the development of green economies to optimize the international market. China and Africa should stimulate the vitality of green finance and accelerate the allocation of global resources in their green cooperation. Beijing can initiate a carbon management system through platforms such as the International Platform on Sustainable Finance and the Sustainable Banking Network in a bid to promote the establishment of unified green financial standards and enhance the efficiency for aligning with green capital. The nation can also collaborate with African partner countries to jointly formulate unified standards for defining green financial products. In doing so, the two sides can enhance their mutual understanding of green policies and make it easier for the two sides to match in the green financial sector. Both parties can fully leverage the effects from demonstration zones, constructing and expanding typical cooperative projects such as green industrial parks. The goal is to promote the reform of the China-Africa green infrastructure, address challenges facing African countries in the sustainable development of their infrastructure, and effectively enable African countries to adopt green standards in their construction sector.

Looking to the future, China and Africa should draw on their experiences and wisdom, jointly address the challenges of green development, jointly implement the Global Development Initiative, and promote the building of a global community with a shared future.

Wang Heng is chair of the Institute Affairs Committee and vice-president of the Institute of African Studies at Zhejiang Normal University. Zhou Xingcan is a postgraduate student at the university. The authors contributed this article to China Watch, a think tank powered by China Daily.

The views do not necessarily reflect those of China Daily.

Contact the editor at editor@chinawatch.cn