From June 25 to 26, 2026, the 2026 ASEAN-China Environmental Cooperation Week was held in Danzhou City, Hainan Province. The event was co-hosted by the China-ASEAN Environmental Cooperation Center / Foreign Environmental Cooperation Center / Technology Center for Environmental Convention Implementation of the Ministry of Ecology and Environment of China (FECO), and the Department of Ecology and Environment of Hainan Province. It received support from the ASEAN Secretariat, UNICEF China, and the Danzhou Municipal People’s Government.
Ms. CUI Dandan, Deputy Director-General of the Department of International Cooperation of the Ministry of Ecology and Environment of China; Dr. Le Ngoc Cau, Deputy Director-General of the Institute of Meteorology, Hydrology, Environment and Marine Sciences of the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment of Viet Nam; Ms. LI Xiaowen, Chair of the Women Workers Committee of the China Financial Workers’ Union; Ms. Amanda Bissex, Deputy Representative of UNICEF China; Dr. LI Xia, Deputy Director-General of FECO; Ms. ZHANG Jing, Chief Engineer of the Department of Ecology and Environment of Hainan Province; and Mr. YANG Zongfeng, Vice Mayor of Danzhou City, Hainan Province, attended the event and delivered opening remarks.
Ms. CUI Dandan pointed out that through the joint efforts of both sides, the ASEAN-China environmental cooperation mechanism has been continuously improved, cooperation areas have expanded, and fruitful results have been achieved. This has formed a favorable pattern of synergistic advancement across policy communication, capacity building, project implementation, and mutual learning of experiences. She stated that as the current global green transition faces obstacles and divisions in international environmental governance intensify, China is willing to work with ASEAN countries—building on the effective implementation of the previous three phases of cooperation strategies and action plans—to advance the launch and implementation of the new Framework of ASEAN-China Environmental Cooperation Strategy and Action Plan 2026-2030. China aims to continuously deepen practical regional cooperation on environment and climate, counter external volatility with regional stability, and join hands to build a clean, beautiful, prosperous, and sustainable shared home.
Dr. Le Ngoc Cau stated that to achieve its net-zero emissions target by 2050, Viet Nam has taken the carbon market as the core driver for its green transition. It is progressively advancing carbon emission trading pilots for key enterprises in high-emission industries and will officially launch its national carbon market in 2029. China's practical experience, spanning from local pilots to the establishment of a national carbon market, offers valuable lessons for Viet Nam and other countries in the region. Seizing the opportunity of the CAFTA 3.0 upgrade, both sides can align green finance policies, carbon accounting, and green technical standards to jointly promote regional low-carbon and sustainable development.
Ms. LI Xiaowen stated that to strengthen green economic cooperation between China and ASEAN countries, financial institutions on both sides have carried out extensive innovative practices. These include climate risk stress testing, the issuance of green bonds and sustainability-linked bonds, the expansion of green credit and green deposit businesses, the establishment of green investment funds, and the exploration of green financial leasing models. China is willing to further deepen cooperation with ASEAN countries to jointly develop a batch of excellent, sustainable, and replicable green finance case studies, support the industrialization of green and low-carbon innovative technologies, improve regional asset quality, and drive the high-quality development of the regional green economy.
Ms. Amanda Bissex stated that cities are central places where millions of children live, learn, and grow. Building climate-resilient cities is not only vital for economic operations and infrastructure security, but also directly impacts children's health, safety, and long-term development. UNICEF is engaged in long-term cooperation with the Ministry of Ecology and Environment of China, advancing collaborative actions around child-centered climate adaptation, youth engagement, resilient social service construction, and South-South cooperation. This collaboration aims to translate international commitments and national strategies into tangible local outcomes, support the improvement of child-centered climate-adaptive social service systems at the urban level, and explore effective pathways to precisely match climate financing with children's adaptation needs.
Dr. LI Xia expressed gratitude to the ASEAN Secretariat, ASEAN member countries, and relevant partners for their long-term support to FECO. She pointed out that through the joint efforts of regional countries, both sides have reached a consensus on the new phase of the framework of environmental cooperation strategy and action plan. FECO will always walk hand in hand with ASEAN partners to continuously deepen conceptual alignment, inclusivity, and mutual trust, thereby solidifying the foundation for long-term cooperation. FECO will also promote technological empowerment for green emerging industries, explore effective pathways for financial support to implement green technologies, stay committed to the core of sustainable development, and integrate topics such as inclusive growth, just transition, and community development into the regional cooperation framework.
Ms. ZHANG Jing stated that as China's largest Special Economic Zone, Hainan has achieved remarkable practical results in exploring green free trade port construction, coastal ecosystem protection, and industrial low-carbon green transition. Hainan is willing to continuously deepen strategic alignment in regional climate governance with ASEAN countries, strengthen multi-stakeholder collaboration on topics such as green finance, green trade, and low-carbon supply chain management, and jointly promote the green and low-carbon upgrade of regional industrial and value chains. Hainan strives to serve as a frontier bridge for deepening practical cooperation and promoting mutual learning of experiences between China and ASEAN in the fields of environment and climate.
Mr. YANG Zongfeng stated that as the core industrial development highland for the Hainan Free Trade Port, the Hainan Yangpu Economic Development Zone actively builds a model for low-carbon development in the free trade port. It constructs industrial and spatial layouts compatible with resource carrying capacity and adheres to a sustainable industrial chain development model characterized by high added value and low environmental load. Looking ahead, Yangpu hopes to take the China-ASEAN Free Trade Area 3.0 Upgrade Protocol as an opportunity, leverage the overlapping advantages of the free trade port's strategic location and industries, and deepen practical exchanges and cooperation with ASEAN countries in ecological governance, green circularity, and low-carbon development.
The ASEAN-China Environmental Cooperation Week 2026 aimed to promote the implementation of the Global Development Initiative and the spirits of the ASEAN-China Leaders' Meeting, build consensus on cooperation in the fields of green and sustainable development, advance the implementation of practical cooperation, and provide early harvest support for the new Framework of ASEAN-China Environmental Cooperation Strategy and Action Plan 2026-2030.
The event featured thematic roundtable dialogues and capacity-building activities, including the "ASEAN-China Roundtable Dialogue on Climate-Resilient Cities", the "ASEAN–China Dialogue on Green and Sustainable Development under CAFTA 3.0", and the "ASEAN Plus Three Partnership on Plastic Reduction and Low-Carbon Circular Economy – Capacity Building for Urban Waste Recycling and Resource Recovery". The event also saw the launch of the "2026 ASEAN-China Green Finance Best Practices Case Collection" activity and included the "Field Visit on Green and Low-Carbon Industrial Transformation" in the Hainan Yangpu Economic Development Zone.
