Photo: IC

China recently released a 33-point guideline to ramp up the country's leading role in the green transformation of industries, services and other social activities to realize the country's pre-set green, low-carbon development goals. It is of great importance for the strategic guideline to be broadly and earnestly implemented. China's unflinching green push will contribute to achieving high-quality economic development.

And, China's investments in renewable energy options will produce more benefits, as efficient, reliable renewable technologies developed by Chinese companies can create a system that is less prone to global geopolitical crises and market shocks, while improve China's economic resilience and energy security.

As our living planet is getting warmer and warmer caused by the heavy emissions of greenhouse gases into the Earth's atmosphere, it is the common responsibility of all countries, large or small, to protect the environment, reduce carbon dioxide emissions and promote green and sustainable development. Accelerating the transition to clean renewable energies is the pathway to a healthy and sustainable future.  

Fossil fuels, including coal, oil and gas, are by far the largest contributor to global climate change. The science is clear that in order to avoid the worst impacts of climate change, carbon emissions need to be cut by half by 2030, according to the United Nations. 

For the sake of protecting our living environment, we need to end our reliance on fossil fuels and invest in alternative sources of energy. Renewable new-energy sources, provided by the sun, wind, water and heat from the Earth, are replenished by nature and clean. So, it is imperative for the world's major economies to end their reliance on fossil fuels and invest in clean new energy resources. 

According to the guideline released on Sunday by the CPC Central Committee and the State Council, by 2030, key areas in China's economic and social sectors will see notable progress in green transition. By 2035, a massively green, low-carbon and circular economy will largely take shape in China, with the country's economic and social development fully adopting the green and sustainable path.

By all metrics, China is currently a front-runner in green transformation of the manufacturing industry, as the country holds the dominant position in producing high-quality solar photovoltaic panels, wind turbines, a wide array of high-quality and affordable electric vehicles (EVs) and EV-use batteries. China is also holding the technology edge in new-energy manufacturing.

The 33-point guideline projects that the scale of the energy-saving and environment protection industry in China will reach 15 trillion yuan ($2.1 trillion) by 2030. By 2030, the target is for non-fossil fuels to constitute at least 25 percent of the country's total energy mix. 

The guideline sets the tone for many aspects of China's green development, including the commitment to green growth, a comprehensive restructuring of the country's industrial system, broad application of green production methods and societal adoption of an eco-friendly life style. 

Thanks to the long-term policies pursued by Chinese government, and sophisticated, distinctive and innovative large-, medium- and small-sized enterprises, China's low-carbon transformation will help it to achieve high-quality economic development as well as faster green transition.

Compared to other major economies which have largely dragged their feet on de-carbonization in recent years, China has the political will and resources to achieve its great climate target of peaking carbon emissions before 2030 as well as realizing carbon neutrality before 2060. 

To restrict global temperature rise to below 2 degrees Celsius, all countries need to accelerate their de-carbonization efforts. However, some major economies in the West, which used to trumpet their green measures before the world, have incredibly turned their back on de-carbonization by levying very high tariffs on high-quality and low-cost Chinese EVs. 

Also, to block China's green products, these Western countries even falsely claimed that China's EV sector is facing "an overcapacity." The fact is China's affordable new-energy products are greatly welcomed in the world. The Western countries, typically the US, are jealous of China's huge gain in new-energy domain innovations.

Despite the nay-saying of the West, China is bent on advancing its green push. Recently, the country's largest cities including tier-1 metropolises Shanghai, Beijing, Shenzhen and Guangzhou, have accelerated their pace of green transformation, by rapidly replacing pollutant internal combustion engine vehicles with clean electric vehicles. Other tier-2 and tier-3 cities are following the heels of the four megacities to step up green transition.

China's aggressive push toward electric mobility is driving technological advancements and reshaping market dynamics. With major automotive manufacturers investing heavily in battery and EV technologies, the market is witnessing a surge in electric models from luxury cars to more affordable options. 

It is of great significance for Beijing and Shanghai, the two most known Chinese cities overseas, to place so much weight on the green push. Shanghai has set a plan to phase out all city-street buses and cabs at the end of 2027, replacing 6,200 buses and 11,000 cabs with EVs, while Beijing has worked out an action plan to increase the number of new-energy buses, trucks and cars to at least 2 million by 2025. 

As China is leading the world in the green transition, and navigating a great transformation from a quantity-driven economy to quality-drive one, the new mandate to foster and grow new quality productive forces ought to become an important policy that will guide the country's all-around development in the coming years. 

In a nutshell, the EV market is experiencing an unprecedented boom and China is at the very forefront of this revolution. Armed with ambitious government goals and substantial investments in technology, infrastructure and sustained innovation, China is projected to achieve 12-13 million EV sales this year. Last year, China's NEV market experience rapid growth, achieving sales of 9.496 million units and capturing about 32 percent of the auto market share. 

Currently, about 80 percent of the global population lives in countries that are net-importers of fossil fuels, meaning up to 6 billion people are dependent on fossil fuels from other countries, which makes them vulnerable to geopolitical crises. In contrast renewable energy sources are available in all countries and their potential is yet to be fully harnessed. The International Renewable Energy Agency estimates that 90 percent of the world's electricity can and should come from clean renewable energy by 2050.

The author is an editor with the Global Times. bizopinion@globaltimes.com.cn