Scientists and industry leaders have called for swift action to apply methods to accelerate the green transition and to transform environmental technologies into a form of "new quality productive forces" which can spur innovation and development at a forum in Beijing on Thursday.
The Third Academician Forum on Ecological and Environmental Protection Industry Serving the Carbon Peaking and Carbon Neutrality Strategy is a theme forum of the ongoing 2024 China International Fair for Trade in Services (CIFTIS), a major trade expo showcasing the country's service sector.
Nearly 20 academicians and scientists from China and around the world gathered to discuss the new technologies and trends taking shape as part of China's ambitious strategy to reach peak carbon emissions by 2030 and achieve carbon neutrality by 2060, which has been referred to as the country's "dual carbon" goals.
The key areas of the discussions included pollution reduction and cutting carbon emissions, working towards clean energy solutions, realizing 'zero-waste' cities, as well as topics such as carbon dioxide capture and the treatment of livestock and poultry waste.
"We need to take swift actions, not only to establish the theories and methods, but to encourage enterprises which should follow up and put these ideas into practice," said Jiao Nianzhi, a professor at Xiamen University's School of Ocean and Earth Sciences and an academician at the Chinese Academy of Science.
"In terms of management, we need to advance the integration of government, industry, colleges, research and application. For example, the scientific research achievements of experts and scientists should be transformed in a timely manner, and the technology incubated should be industrialized to form new productive forces. Therefore, the future direction of our environmental protection sector should be based on high-tech, complex, and high-quality integration," said Guo Chengzhan, president of the China Association of Environmental Protection Industry.
This year's CIFTIS, themed 'Global Services, Shared Prosperity,' features a variety of activities, including exhibitions, promotional events, and product launches.
Scientists discuss green tech application at service trade fair sub-event
A global wave of festive celebrations is unfolding as the Chinese Lunar New Year approaches, with the 2025 Spring Festival Gala promotional video by China Media Group (CMG) serving as a cultural bridge, connecting people from diverse backgrounds to the richness of Chinese traditions.
The Spring Festival falls on Jan 29 this year, ushering in the Year of the Snake, according to the Chinese lunar calendar.
At the new compound of the Mission of China to the AU in Addis Ababa, the capital of Ethiopia, a gala was held on Monday to celebrate the upcoming Chinese Lunar New Year, or Spring Festival.
Featured Chinese foods and traditional performances from both China and Africa, among others, the event has brought together over 300 participants including the representatives of the AU and the Chinese community in Addis Ababa.
Monique Nsanzabaganwa, deputy chairperson for the African Union Commission, said AU-China cooperation has achieved gratifying and fruitful results during the previous years, noting China's 35-year-long tradition of dispatching its foreign minister to Africa on their first overseas trips at the start of a year.
The AU is willing to work with China to make greater contribution to the development and prosperity of the Global South, she said.
"I wish Africa-China relations will achieve greater progress in 2025 and building an all weather Africa-China community with a shared future for the new era will yield fruitful results," Nsanzabaganwa said.
The promotional video for the 2025 Spring Festival Gala was also aired at the event, marking a step forward in cultural exchange while igniting interest in Chinese traditions among attendees.
Meanwhile, cinemas in landmark locations across Johannesburg, Cape Town, and Durban in South Africa conducted a synchronized screening of the promotional video for the Spring Festival Gala, marking a first for the collaborative initiative.
A South Korean expatriate residing in South Africa expressed that seeing the promotional video of the gala, which represents elements of the Chinese Lunar New Year, in South African cinemas evoked a warm sense of longing for family reunions within her.
"As a foreigner, I was very impressed by the Chinese Spring Festival Gala last year, I was so happy to see the beautiful performances in South Africa's shopping mall at Nu Metro (Cinema). I'm very looking forward to see the live performance with my husband and baby at this Chinese New Year," she said.
In addition, the Chinese Embassy in Zambia on Sunday held the 2025 Zambia-Chinese Spring Festival Temple Fair with a display of Chinese culture in celebration of the upcoming Spring Festival.
Featuring various Chinese cultures, including a kung fu performance, the celebration attracted scores of both Chinese people and local people, officials from the Chinese embassy and the Zambian government, and representatives of Chinese enterprises operating in Zambia.
Chinese food was also on display, while Chinese companies took advantage of the ceremony to showcase their products and services.
During the event, the promotional video for the gala made a stunning appearance, becoming the focal point of the gathering.
In December last year, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization inscribed "Spring Festival, social practices of the Chinese people in celebration of the traditional new year" on the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.
Promotional video for CMG Spring Festival Gala screened in various countries