China, Pakistan work towards greening CPEC

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan and China are keeping their commitment to making the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) a green project, and enable future generations to have a green environment.

Besides the green CPEC initiative, the Chinese government and companies are also supporting Pakistan in the Billion Tree Tsunami program of Prime Minister Imran Khan by vigorously participating and gifting in the drive.

Chinese companies working on CPEC projects in Pakistan have planted a large number of trees in their premises to support the drive. The Chinese embassy on Wednesday also donated 7,000 saplings for the program to support the efforts in environmental protection.

In a conversation with Xinhua at the donation ceremony, Minister for Climate Change Malik Amin Aslam lauded the Chinese government for supporting Pakistan’s green vision, adding that the gesture of the Chinese government and people shows that both countries not only share the past but also the future.

Speaking with Xinhua, Chinese Ambassador Nong Rong said they gifted the trees on the occasion of the 70th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and Pakistan.

The two governments have been supporting each other in nature conservation and practising the idea of a green Belt and Road to promote the high-quality development of CPEC, he added.

Phase-I of CPEC was mainly about road infrastructure and energy projects to meet the urgent need of Pakistan by laying a solid foundation for the economic development of the South Asian country.

Shabir Ahmad Khan, director of Area Study Center (Russia, China and Central Asia) in the University of Peshawar, told Xinhua in a recent interview that Pakistan was facing hours-long power outage every day, its “worst” security situation as well as poor investment into the country.

“At such a critical time, CPEC came to Pakistan’s rescue and Chinese companies built power plants in Pakistan at the request of the then government of the country as it was the urgent solution to the electricity woes of the country,” he said.

The officials and experts laud CPEC’s coal-fired power plants for not only overcoming the energy crisis of Pakistan but also keeping emissions under control.

“The coal-fired power plants including Sahiwal and Port Qasim even got certifications for being eco-friendly and controlling emissions well under control to meet the world and local standards,” Khan said.

Lauding China’s decision to stop building new coal-fired power projects abroad, Aslam said the decision shows that actions speak louder than words because when all countries are talking about protecting the climate, China came forward with a concrete and significant decision.

He added that China has also been investing in clean energy initiatives in Pakistan, as the current Pakistani government is focusing on hydel, solar, and other clean energy initiatives, which will not only be a step forward to the commitment of green CPEC, but also fulfil the promise of prime minister to save environment for future generations.

Talking about green CPEC, Nong said all CPEC projects embody the green concept and are setting a strong base for industrialization in the country.

“Our coal-fired power projects are highly efficient, using advanced environment-friendly technologies to ensure low pollution and low emission. Furthermore, we also focus on clean technologies like hydel, wind and photovoltaic, providing Pakistan with green electricity, laying a good foundation for Pakistan’s industrialization and urbanisation,” he added.