China's cement industry is accelerating its transformation to digitalization and green manufacturing, keeping pace with the country's drive to achieve carbon reduction goals.
China released a plan on ultra-low emissions in cement production to reduce pollutant emissions in January this year. The plan requires half of cement clinker production capacity in the country's key regions for air pollution control to complete ultra-low emission transformation by the end of 2025, and 80 percent of China's overall cement clinker production capacity to finish the transformation the end of 2028.
It marks the ultra-low emission transformation in another traditional industry after coal-fired power plants and the steel industry in China.
"As of 2023, 274 cement factories and 125 cement mines had been listed by the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology as green manufacturers. In the future, cement enterprises will build more green factories and apply more green mining approaches to contribute to the green and low-carbon development of the cement industry." said Kong Xiangzhong, executive president of the China Cement Association.
China's cement production totalled 2.023 billion tons in 2023, ranking first in the world for 38 consecutive years, according to insiders at the World Cement Association Annual Conference 2024 that opened in Nanjing of east China on Saturday.
China's cement output accounted for more than 50 percent of global cement production and the cement sector discharged over 1.2 billion tons of carbon dioxide in 2023.
China's cement industry accelerates digital, green transformation
The commencement ceremony of the China-Kyrgyzstan-Uzbekistan railway project was held in Jalalabad, Kyrgyzstan on Friday, and Chinese President Xi Jinping sent a congratulatory letter to the commencement ceremony of the cross-border railway project.
In his letter, Xi emphasized that the construction of the China-Kyrgyzstan-Uzbekistan railway is a strategic decision made by the governments of the three countries to enhance regional connectivity, prosperity, and stability.
He noted that the project represents a significant step forward in promoting cooperation and development across the region.
At the ceremony, representatives from the three countries unveiled the project's cornerstone.
President Xi's special envoy and director of the National Development and Reform Commission, Zheng Shanjie, attended the launch ceremony.
Zheng read out President Xi's congratulatory letter and delivered a speech at the event, emphasizing the project's significance as a milestone in trilateral cooperation.
Kyrgyz President Sadyr Japarov attended the event, stating that the railway will serve as an important strategic bridge connecting the countries of the East and the West.
Officials from the railway companies of Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan have also welcomed the project for its potential to enhance regional connectivity and foster development.
"Overall, the project will establish direct rail links to China for both Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan, significantly boosting the development of the Central Asia region. Furthermore, Kyrgyzstan is set to become a transportation hub, integrating into the global railway network, which will substantially accelerate its own development. In addition [to the railway infrastructure], the project will involve the construction of warehouses, logistics centers, and other facilities, fostering the growth of small and medium-sized enterprises," said Azamat Sakiev, director of Kyrgyz Railways (or Kyrgyz Temir Zholu state enterprise).
"Today (Dec. 27) marks a historic day for our three countries. Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan have been waiting for this day for 20 years. We have all been anticipating the launch of the China-Kyrgyzstan-Uzbekistan railway. This railway not only links China, Kyrgyzstan, and Uzbekistan, but also connects the entire Asian continent, including South Korea and Japan," said Hikmatulla Rakhmetov, the first deputy head of Uzbekistan Railways.
The railway, personally championed by the heads of state of China, Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan. is a flagship project of the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI). It serves as a strategic connectivity project linking China with Central Asia.
Originating in Kashgar, located in northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, it will cross the Torugart Pass into Kyrgyzstan, proceed westward through the Kyrgyz border city of Jalalabad, and terminate in the eastern Uzbek city of Andijan.
Based on the current progress, the project is set to officially begin construction in July 2025 and is projected to take six years to complete.
Launch ceremony for China-Kyrgyzstan-Uzbekistan railway held in Kyrgyzstan
