Global significance

Hu Kanping, a researcher at the Chinese Ecological Civilization Research and Promotion Association, described the shift Oqubay depicted in China's development as a process of learning from the outside world toward self-exploration in solving environmental issues.

As a result of that exploration, Xi Jinping Thought on Ecological Civilization has come into formation, which is a concept that embodies the synergy between environmental protection and economic development, he said.

Two tenets of the thought are "lucid waters and lush mountains are invaluable assets" and "green development is a profound revolution in the concept of development".

In the evolution of China's environmental efforts, the country initially focused on resolving its internal environmental issues by studying and adapting successful foreign practices, Hu said. As time progressed, China shifted toward developing its distinctive solutions.

The environmental challenges China strives to address, once prevalent in Western countries, have gradually emerged in developing nations as they pursue economic advancement, and thus now share global concerns, he said.

"This underscores the global significance of Xi Jinping Thought on Ecological Civilization," he stressed.

The thought "has had profound effects on China and the rest of the world," said Adhere Cavince, a Kenya-based international relations scholar, echoing Hu.

"China is now actively sharing its wisdom and knowledge with partner countries on how to muster progressive and productive ecological practices," and has been actively involved in efforts to spearhead responsible global ecological governance frameworks, Cavince said.

Lees emphasized that China has made enormous steps toward a sustainable path of progress and expressed high hopes for China to play a pivotal role in addressing the global environmental and climate crisis, particularly focusing on the challenges faced by developing nations.

"I think that the role of China on climate, ecology and environmental issues, which will determine the future, will be absolutely central to having any chance of solving the problems we must face together," he said.

For the debt-plagued countries in the Global South that do not even have the financial capability to maintain their education and health systems and to reduce poverty, mitigating and adapting to the impacts of climate change is "an additional demand which is very difficult to deal with", he said.

China can play a critical role through the Belt and Road Initiative and other channels in addressing the international debt question, which is central to assisting developing nations to tackle climate and ecological issues effectively, he said.

Lees underlined that China has accumulated enormous practical experience and built up a resource of very expert people who understand these environmental, economic and climate issues, adding that China could help developing countries to build their capability to understand and manage these problems, which are critical to sustainable development, economic stability and world peace.

"It's no good saying to developing countries you ought to do this, and you ought to do that, if they don't have the people, the resources and the institutions they need to handle these problems.

"China can use its expertise and its economic and financial strength to help developing countries to build their capabilities to manage these critical issues," he said, adding that this would be a most effective and urgently needed stimulus to contain the intensifying global climate crisis.

Lees was endorsed by Muhammad Zamir Assadi, a Pakistani political analyst and an editor with Internews Pakistan, which is based in Islamabad.

"It has become obvious that China's green development path is the road of sustainable development with harmonious coexistence and benign interaction between human society and nature that has also become an example for the international community to follow as per the local needs in various countries," he said.

Contact the writer at [email protected]