Advancing green development is necessary for tackling climate change, and a key link enabling China, Europe and Africa to achieve sustainable economic development and improve people's well-being, Liu Qibao, vice-chairman of the 13th National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference and president of the China-EU Association said on Saturday.
Speaking at the 2026 China-Europe-Africa Green Energy Development Forum, held in Wenzhou city, Zhejiang province, Liu said that China, Europe and Africa have much in common and much to gain from working together on the green transition.
"It is vital that we keep pace with the latest technological advances and work together to drive R&D and the application of cutting-edge green and low-carbon technologies, so that green power can light up Africa," he said.
It is equally important that an open and inclusive market environment must be championed to safeguard the stability of global energy industrial and supply chains, he added.
As the global leader in green energy technologies, China seeks to boost its annual renewable energy consumption to around 1.8 billion metric tons of standard coal equivalent by 2030 under its 15th Five-Year Plan (2026-30) for renewable energy development.
That is why China and Europe should bolster their green energy partnership and work with Africa in advancing mutually beneficial projects to turn consensus into concrete results, said Yves Leterme, the former prime minister of Belgium.
"It is imperative the world uphold the global climate governance system and multilateralism, and strengthen open, inclusive and rules-based cooperation," he said.
But myriad challenges remain. For one, access to electricity remains inadequate in parts of Africa. Gilbert Bukenya, Uganda's former vice-president, said that factors such as commercial logging, population growth, the use of charcoal and firewood, and unregulated sand mining "continue to place growing ecological strain on Uganda."
Adopting measures such as promoting small, easy-to-deploy solar installations can help countries like Uganda improve household energy access and restore damaged forests, he said, and these are the areas on which China and Europe can collaborate with respect to Africa, helping the continent transform through green energy.
