Intro
The construction of "One Belt One Road" has been advancing since Chinese President Xi Jinping put forward the strategy of "New Silk Road Economic Belt" and "21st Century Maritime Silk Road" in October 2013. Energy and infrastructure are the pioneer and important fields in the extensive cooperation among “One Belt One Road” countries, which plays a key role in meeting the huge demand for energy of the area and achieving prosperity.
The “New Silk Road” passes through the hinterland of the Eurasian continent, which has been suffering from severe ecological problems. Most countries along the “Maritime Silk Road” are developing countries, facing the challenges of environmental pollution resulting from the old development mode. Therefore, "One Belt One Road" could play an indispensable role in promoting environmental and social development of the region. It is a driving force rather than a hindrance in improving environment and promoting social good governance. It's critical that China incorporate concepts of green, low-carbon and sound ESG safeguards into the construction of “One Belt One Road”, so that countries along the “One Belt One Road” can benefit from China's experience of environmental governance and learn the lessons from its history of developing at all costs. Furthermore, countries can strengthen cooperation on issues such as climate change, ecological environment, agriculture, energy efficiency and transportation, to promote a sustainable development.
Alert
- How to keep Belt and Road green
- Guoyi Han 'Tipping points in China – will they lead to green or brown investments?
- The Trouble with China's 'One Belt One Road' Strategy――Overcapacity，Domestic Restructuring and Social Implications and Low Investment Return
- Where Is China's Silk Road Actually Going?
- Policy Forum: China’s New Silk Road: Good or bad for Europe's green economy?
View
Fred Krupp President of the Environmental Defense Fund--a United States–based nonprofit environmental advocacy group：“The internationalization of Chinese NGOs should be an important adjunct to China's One Belt, One Road initiative…The values of corporate social responsibility can make this an engine for green transformation. The NGOs and think tanks working on the green supply chain in China can use this initiative to ensure investments made outside the country help advance environmental protection. Here, environmental conditionality on bank lending would be a powerful policy for the new Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank to avoid locking the region into significant increases in greenhouse gas emissions.”
Resources
- Report: Riding the Silk Road: China sees outbound investment boom Outlook for China’s outward foreign direct investment ,Ernst & Young
- Report: 2013 Statistical Bulletin of China’s Outward Foreign Direct Investment to One Belt One Road Countries(CH),( selected by Greenovation Hub)
- Report: World Investment Report 2014,UNCTAD
- Policy: Vision and Actions on Jointly Building Silk Road Economic Belt And 21st-Century Maritime Silk Road,National Development and Reform Commission
- Website: One Belt and One Road, Xinhua Finance Agency
Case Study
International Rivers: Benchmarking the Policies and Practices of International Hydropower Companies—Stage Ⅰ Environmental and Social Policies and Practices of Chinese Overseas Hydro-power Companies
Executive Summary
The report Benchmarking the Policies and Practices of International Hydropower Companies—Stage Ⅰ Environmental and Social Policies and Practices of Chinese Overseas Hydropower Companies was released by International Rivers on June 23, 2015. It evaluated and ranked the environmental and social policy commitments and project performance of seven major Chinese overseas hydropower companies, which has been the very first effort to fully understand and benchmark the environmental and social risks management of Chinese overseas hydropower industry since this industry began “going out” more than a decade ago.
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Observation on China's Overseas Investment wishes to present multiple views and perspectives to enhance understanding concerning China's overseas investment and global footprint, so as to promote China's "going out" in a more responsible and more sustainable way.
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