Joining Hands with Green Partners to Build a Blue Bridge | In-depth Exchange on Ecological Industry Cooperation Between ACEFs Belt and Road Eco-industry Cooperation Working Committee and Embassy of K

To deepen pragmatic ecological industry cooperation under the Belt and Road Initiative, on December 3rd, Shi Xiang, Deputy Director and Secretary-General of Belt and Road Eco-industry Cooperation Working Committee, the All-China Environment Federation (hereinafter referred to as the "BRIC Working Committee", ACEF), led a team from the International Department to visit to the Embassy of the Republic of Kiribati in China. They held a working meeting with His Excellency David Teaabo, Ambassador of Kiribati to China. Both sides focused on Kiribati's priority national development projects, particularly the port upgrading, and held in-depth discussions on cooperation in sustainable development areas such as clean energy, jointly exploring pathways for project implementation.

At the beginning of the meeting, Secretary-General Shi Xiang expressed gratitude to the Ambassador and the Government of Kiribati for their strong support for bilateral cooperation. He noted that since His Excellency Alexander Teabo, Minister for Information, Communication and Transport of the Republic of Kiribati, visited Chinese enterprises, the BRIC Working Committee has attached great importance to follow-up coordination and looks forward to working with Kiribati to translate consensus into concrete results.

Ambassador Teaabo warmly welcomed the delegation and recalled the friendly exchanges between the two sides during the 30th Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP30). He specifically mentioned that during the conference, Honourable Vice President, Dr. Teuea Toatu, also Minister for Finance & Economic Development conveyed great interest in  cooperation on port upgrading when meeting with the ACEF delegation.

(During COP30, Mr. Shi Xiang presented a customized COP30 souvenir to Honourable Vice President, Dr. Teuea Toatu, also Minister for Finance & Economic Development)

The Ambassador then introduced Kiribati’s key development priority—the upgrading and expansion of Kiribati’s Port. He emphasized that Kiribati has identified ACEF and its partners as the preferred partners for this project, based on the strong technical capabilities demonstrated by Chinese enterprises during the Minister's site inspections and the solid mutual trust between the two sides. Although other international enterprises have expressed interest, the Government of Kiribati and its Embassy firmly hope to advance cooperation with Chinese partners. He formally proposed inviting ACEF to lead a delegation to visit Kiribati in the first quarter of 2026 for on-site inspections and direct engagement with relevant Kiribati departments to accelerate the project process. Both sides agreed to establish a joint working group and convene an online meeting with Kiribati's Ministry of Transport, the Embassy, ACEF, and its partners to refine project needs and prepare for the field visit.

The discussion also expanded the scope of cooperation. Secretary-General Shi Xiang introduced China's advanced technologies in solar photovoltaic power and waste resource utilization (waste-to-energy). Ambassador Teaabo expressed strong interest, noting that these are areas Kiribati urgently needs to achieve sustainable development. He offered to facilitate connections with Kiribati's state-owned green energy company to explore a comprehensive cooperation model from technology introduction to commercialization. BRIC Working Committee stated that it will leverage its platform advantages to accurately recommend high-quality Chinese environmental protection enterprises to Kiribati and assist Kiribati in making good use of international mechanisms such as South-South Cooperation to jointly promote Kiribati's green transition.

The meeting concluded in a friendly and pragmatic atmosphere with the exchange of commemorative gifts symbolizing friendship and commitment. On behalf of the BRIC Working Committee, Secretary-General Shi Xiang presented carefully crafted COP30 souvenirs to the Ambassador, symbolizing their shared commitment and good wishes for global environmental governance. In return, the Ambassador presented a precious shell necklace with distinctive Kiribati characteristics, a symbol of the highest courtesy and sincere friendship towards distinguished friends, and expressed the expectation that the friendship and cooperation between the two sides will be as profound and enduring as the ocean.

At the end of the meeting, both sides outlined the next steps. The Ambassador will coordinate with relevant Kiribati departments to convene the online meeting as  soon as possible and share information on cooperation needs in green energy. The BRIC Working Committee will actively coordinate partner institutions and member enterprises to make preparations for technical docking and the visit. Both sides agreed to maintain close communication through an efficient working mechanism to ensure the steady advancement of various cooperation intentions.

This meeting yielded fruitful results. It not only deepened the friendly relations between ACEF and the Embassy of Kiribati in China but also laid a solid foundation for promoting the implementation of specific environmental protection industry projects along the Belt and Road. Both sides firmly believe that under the principle of extensive consultation, joint contribution and shared benefits, the green cooperation between China and Kiribati will surely yield fruitful results benefiting the people of both countries and contribute to protecting our common blue planet.