China, Turkmenistan advance sustainable transportation

From a green and smart inland waterway transport program in Southwest China's Chongqing municipality to a green methanol fuel project in Hong Kong, Chinese practices in sustainable transport were highlighted on Wednesday at a UN side event on advancing the United Nations Decade of Sustainable Transport from 2026 to 2035.

The event, held on the sidelines of the 2026 UN High-level Political Forum on Sustainable Development, was co-hosted by the permanent missions of China and Turkmenistan to the United Nations, the UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs, and the China International Center for Sustainable Transport Innovation and Knowledge.

Sun Lei, China's deputy permanent representative to the United Nations, stressed that transport is an important carrier linking development and people's livelihoods.

He put forward a four-point proposal for global cooperation: strengthening planning guidance and deepening global connectivity; accelerating low-carbon upgrading and promoting green transport transformation; focusing on livelihood gaps and developing inclusive and equitable transport; and improving whole-chain management to strengthen transport safety.

"China is accelerating efforts to build itself into a country with strong transport networks," Sun said, adding that China has implemented a number of cross-border connectivity projects through Belt and Road cooperation and the Global Development Initiative.

"China will continue to share replicable green and smart transport solutions with the world and work with all parties to promote global sustainable development," he said.

Bjorg Sandkjaer, the assistant secretary-general for policy coordination in the Department of Economic and Social Affairs, said transport serves as a key link connecting economic growth, inclusive development and climate action, and is directly related to the overall implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

Sandkjaer called on governments, international institutions and the private sector to work with all stakeholders to build close partnerships and fully implement the priority actions of the decade.

Vepa Hajiyev, permanent representative of Turkmenistan to the UN, said Turkmenistan has always placed sustainable transport cooperation "high on its diplomatic agenda".

"Turkmenistan stands ready to further deepen practical cooperation with China in connectivity, transport energy and cross-border logistics, make full use of the Group of Friends of Sustainable Transport mechanism, and hold regular multilateral exchanges to jointly provide useful transport development models for developing countries," Hajiyev said.

The Chinese delegation presented Chongqing's "Qianli Qingzhou" initiative, a green and smart transformation program for inland waterway transport, as well as a green methanol fuel project by Hong Kong and China Gas Company Limited, or Towngas, which explores the transition of traditional coal chemical production toward cleaner transport fuels.

The Chinese delegation shared the China International Center for Sustainable Transport Innovation and Knowledge's achievements in building platforms for global practice sharing, investment and financing matching, capacity building, and scientific and technological innovation cooperation.

The UN Development Programme introduced a package of assistance programs to promote inclusive slow mobility in less developed areas; the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank presented green transport financing solutions tailored to developing countries; and "99", a Brazilian ride-hailing platform under DiDi, showcased a localized digital and inclusive mobility case in Latin America.

minluzhang@chinadailyusa.com