Strengthening Cooperation for a Green Belt and Road, Building a Common Shield for Climate and Ecological Security—ACEF BRIC Working Committee Holds Talks with the Embassy of Maldives in China on Envir

On March 4, 2026, Shi Xiang, Deputy Director and Secretary-General of the Belt and Road Eco-industry Cooperation Working Committee (hereinafter referred to as the "Working Committee") under the All-China Environment Federation (ACEF), led a delegation to visit the Embassy of the Republic of Maldives in China. The delegation held friendly and in-depth talks with H.E. Fazeel Najeeb, Ambassador of Maldives to China, Ms. Mizna Waheed, Minister Counsellor, and Ms. Lauza Ali, Minister Counsellor. The two sides conducted in-depth exchanges on climate change response, renewable energy, energy storage, solid waste treatment, green development of small island states, and reached a series of important cooperation consensus.

At the beginning of the meeting, Secretary-General Shi Xiang first extended his sincere gratitude to H.E. the Ambassador and the Embassy of Maldives in China for attending the 4th Belt and Road Forum on Economic and Environmental Cooperation & the Annual Conference of the Belt and Road Green Brands Going Global Initiative, hosted by ACEF on January 29, 2026. He introduced that the All-China Environment Federation (ACEF) is committed to advancing global environmental governance and sustainable development, and has long served as a bridge for international cooperation in ecological and environmental protection. It actively supports the green development of the Belt and Road Initiative, regularly organizes Chinese delegations to participate in the United Nations Climate Change Conference, conducts exchanges and technical cooperation in national pavilions of various countries, and promotes the implementation of the Paris Agreement, contributing Chinese solutions to global governance.

Secretary-General Shi Xiang pointed out that as a small island developing state, Maldives attaches great importance to climate change and ecological environmental protection, which is highly consistent with the mission of ACEF. The Federation is willing to organize a Chinese delegation to hold bilateral talks with the Maldivian delegation during the 31st UN Climate Change Conference (COP31) to be held in Türkiye, so as to deepen coordination on climate policies and practical cooperation. In view of Maldives’ urgent needs in renewable energy, energy storage, waste reduction, and solid waste disposal, ACEF will, through the Belt and Road Green Brands Going Global Initiative, select high-quality environmental protection and new energy enterprises to promote technology export, project matching and industrial landing. It will also organize enterprise delegations to conduct field visits to Maldives at an appropriate time to connect with government authorities, island communities and tourist resorts for cooperation opportunities.

H.E. Ambassador Fazeel Najeeb warmly welcomed the visit led by Secretary-General Shi Xiang and spoke highly of the important role played by ACEF in promoting green Belt and Road cooperation and global climate governance. He noted that addressing climate change and pursuing environmental sustainability are top priorities for Maldives’ national development. Maldives has strong demand in waste recycling, renewable energy development, energy storage systems and solid waste management for island regions, and recognizes that China has mature and reliable technologies and solutions to support its green transition.

The Ambassador stated that the Government of Maldives fully supports environmental and new energy cooperation between Maldives and China. At present, Maldives mainly expects to introduce high-quality projects with both technical feasibility and financial support, and welcomes more Chinese enterprises to invest and operate in Maldives. He noted that Chinese enterprises have already carried out power generation and resource recycling projects in Maldives, and hoped to further expand the scope and depth of cooperation. He warmly invited Chinese delegations to visit Maldives to discuss project opportunities with competent government departments, conduct on-site research on small islands, and explore cooperation with tourist resorts, which also have strong demand for energy storage, resource recycling and renewable energy applications, so as to accelerate the implementation of cooperation projects.

Secretary-General Shi Xiang responded that the green and low-carbon development of small island states is a key focus of the Federation. Maldives’ demand for small-scale solid waste treatment equipment, island microgrids and distributed energy storage systems is exactly where China’s advantageous industries excel. Chinese enterprises are ready to bring mature technologies and customized solutions to Maldives for negotiation and cooperation. Meanwhile, ACEF is also willing to warmly receive Maldivian delegations visiting China and organize visits to outstanding Chinese environmental and new energy enterprises to promote two-way exchanges and precise matching.

Both sides agreed to establish a regular communication mechanism. The Embassy of Maldives in China will sort out and provide a list of key cooperation areas and project demands of Maldives, which will be handed over to the Working Committee to match high-quality enterprises and arrange mutual visits and project implementation. The two sides will jointly promote practical achievements in climate action, clean energy and ecological environmental protection between China and Maldives, so as to contribute to the joint building of a green Belt and Road and the sustainable development of small island states.

The talks were held in a candid, friendly and productive atmosphere. They laid a solid foundation for environmental and green energy cooperation between China and Maldives, and opened a new chapter for the two sides to jointly address climate change and promote sustainable development.

Moving forward, taking this China-Maldives meeting as an important opportunity, the Working Committee will continue to deepen communication and coordination with embassies and relevant institutions of all Belt and Road countries in China. It will not only focus on the implementation of cooperation with Maldives in renewable energy, energy storage, solid waste treatment and other fields, but also extensively integrate China’s high-quality technologies, enterprises and capital resources. In light of the ecological and environmental needs and development characteristics of different countries along the route, it will build a more efficient and targeted international cooperation platform to promote the effective implementation of multilateral and bilateral environmental cooperation projects. Meanwhile, relying on international platforms such as the UN Climate Change Conference, the Working Committee will actively advance coordination on climate governance among countries along the Belt and Road, continuously expand the breadth and depth of green cooperation under the initiative, and contribute to the high-quality green and low-carbon development of the Belt and Road with concrete actions, injecting more Silk Road strength into global ecological governance and sustainable development.