Summary
On the third and final day of the 2019 Annual General Meeting (AGM) of the China Council for International Cooperation on Environment and Development (CCICED), delegates went on site visits to two villages in Anji County, Zhejiang Province, for the purpose of learning about Zhejiang’s Green Rural Revival programme. At Dazhuyuan, a model ‘Beautiful Village’ located in the Lingfeng sub-district of Anji, delegates observed local craft industries, and were briefed on the village’s achievements in creating a beautiful rural environment that has attracted tourists and boosted the local economy.
At Yu village, located in Tianhuangping town of Anji, local officials briefed delegates on the historical significance of the village in the context of China’s green transformation, explaining that it was here that Xi Jinping, then Party Secretary of Zhejiang Province, had said that “lucid waters and lush mountains are invaluable assets,” which was the basis for the concept of ‘green is gold’.
At a working lunch, delegates heard from representatives of China’s National Development and Reform Commission, local Party officials, and the World Resources Institute (WRI) about the current status of rural development in China, including both achievements and remaining gaps, the uneven distribution of population, and the imbalance between urban and rural development.
Delegates returned by coach to the Hangzhou International Expo Center for the closing of the CCICED AGM in the afternoon.
Delegates addressed the closing, including representatives of the Global Environment Facility, the UN Environment Programme, WRI, and WWF, with the final address being given by Vice-Premier Han Zheng, China, who serves as CCICED Chair. Han expressed commitment to deepening institutional reform in the service of building an eco-civilization, and expressed China’s readiness to engage deeply in global environmental governance, including contributions to the world’s climate and biodiversity challenges, and fulfilment of its role as host of the fifteenth session of the Conference of Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity in 2020. He affirmed China’s full recognition of the Sustainable Development Goals, and expressed support for the role of CCICED in developing recommendations for the government.
The meeting was adjourned at 5:57 pm.