Vietnam-China cooperation preserves blue skies for the region

Bilateral meeting between Minister of Agriculture and Environment Do Duc Duy and Deputy Minister of Ecology and Environment of China, on the morning of April 16 in Hanoi. Photo: Quynh Chi

On the morning of April 16, Minister of Agriculture and Environment Do Duc Duy received and worked with Ms. Quach Phuong, Deputy Minister of Ecology and Environment of China, on the occasion of the Deputy Minister's attendance at the Partnership for Green Growth and the Global Goals 2030 (P4G) Summit.

At the meeting, the two leaders shared experiences in air quality management, carbon market development and climate change response.

During the 2015-2024 period, when China's GDP grew by 55%, the number of vehicles increased by 110%, but the national PM2.5 concentration decreased by 36%, with Beijing alone decreasing by 61%.

This success is thanks to the environmental pollution management system, with the motto "Government is the main, enterprises are the subject, science and technology are the foundation, the whole people are the protection". These four pillars have ensured the development of the environment - society, improving the air quality of your country.

According to the head of China's Ministry of Ecology and Environment, one of the main solutions is to adjust the clean energy structure in industry and transportation. Over the past 10 years, the proportion of coal consumption in the Chinese market has dropped sharply, from 47% to 23% in 2024.

In the north of the country, a number of measures have been taken to promote governance and reduce emissions from coal burning. Currently, the capital Beijing is developing a system to provide alternative heat sources for neighboring localities, helping 4,100 households switch to clean energy and at the same time cut about 80 million tons of coal consumption.

At the same time, China has built the world's largest clean steel production system, making an important contribution to efforts to reduce emissions from heavy industry.

In the transportation sector, China's new energy vehicle exports now account for 70% of the global market share and have held the world's leading position for many consecutive years.

Deputy Minister of Ecology and Environment Guo Fang shares experience in monitoring environmental pollution in China. Photo: Quynh Chi

In particular, your country also applies biofuels in heating systems and applies remote sensing satellite technology to monitor pollution density in localities, thereby providing timely and effective response solutions.

According to Deputy Minister Guo Fang, air and environmental pollution are inevitable issues in the country's industrialization process. "Blue skies are a miracle of Beijing, thanks to a comprehensive air pollution monitoring system," Guo Fang affirmed, wishing to share her experience with Vietnam.

Responding to Deputy Minister Guo Fang, Minister Do Duc Duy highly appreciated China's efforts in improving air quality, especially in large cities. The Minister was particularly impressed with the solution of using remote sensing technology to monitor air pollution density.

“This is a modern and effective approach that can be referenced and applied by other countries in accordance with actual conditions,” the Minister said, adding that the drastic measures have brought about clear results, demonstrating China’s strong commitment to protecting the environment and public health.

Minister Do Duc Duy commented that in the process of energy transition, participation in green finance will create momentum for the country and businesses. The Minister informed that Vietnam is gradually perfecting the legal framework, proactively participating in multilateral cooperation mechanisms, focusing on controlling CO2 emissions.

Minister of Agriculture and Environment Do Duc Duy shares about Vietnam's green growth orientation. Photo: Quynh Chi

“Vietnam is transforming production towards low emissions, at the same time, building a foundation for a domestic carbon market, expected to pilot operation until 2028. With your support, I hope we can accelerate this process,” Minister Duy expected.

In the field of carbon market, Vietnam is particularly interested in China's experience in organizing and operating the national carbon market, and wishes to establish an in-depth cooperation channel to learn and gradually implement effectively in Vietnam.

At the P4G Conference, the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment hopes to cooperate with China in responding to climate change through sharing information and policies related to goals, roadmaps and solutions to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

An important direction of cooperation is to jointly research and compare current legal and regulatory frameworks, analyze strengths and weaknesses in the greenhouse gas management systems of the two countries in order to learn and improve together.

Minister Do Duc Duy emphasized that Vietnam supports international conventions and will work with governments of other countries to spread national contributions to global sustainable development goals.

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Vietnam wishes to strengthen cooperation with China in transferring climate monitoring technology, early warning systems, as well as training programs to improve climate change response capacity for both the public and private sectors and communities.

The P4G Conference (Hanoi, April 15-17, 2025), with the theme "Sustainable green transformation, people-centered", is the largest multilateral high-level event on green growth hosted by Vietnam in the 2021-2026 period. Agriculture and Environment Newspaper will update throughout the strong commitments, proactive role and international responsibility of Vietnam within the framework of the P4G Conference.

Source: https://hanoimoi.vn/hop-tac-viet-trung-gin-giu-bau-troi-xanh-cho-khu-vuc-699135.html