Boao Forum attendees optimistic about China's fast-growing new energy sector

Attendees at the ongoing Boao Forum for Asian Annual Conference 2025 have expressed optimism about the growth momentum in China's new energy sector, hailing the country's commitment to low-carbon and sustainable development.

The conference, which opened Tuesday in Boao in south China's island province of Hainan, features discussions on four key topics: global trends, growth, outlooks, and new drivers.

With the theme "Asia in the changing World: Towards a shared Future", the four-day gathering has attracted nearly 2,000 attendees from more than 60 countries and regions to participate in more than 50 events and many bilateral events.

At a sub-forum themed "Energy Transition for a Sustainable and Shared Future" held on Wednesday, participants commended China's advancements in green development, with many saying the progress the country has made in fostering green and high-tech industries is evident.

Official data showed that the value-added output of China's high-tech manufacturing sector rose 9.1 percent year on year in the first two months of 2025, while new energy vehicle (NEV) production surged 47.7 percent in the same period after having surpassed 13 million units last year, with exports also increasing, according to the figures.

Amid the ongoing energy transition and various other global challenges, Norway's ambassador to China Vebjorn Dysvik highlighted the importance of cooperation in these newly-emerging sectors.

"Hydrogen is definitely a part of the future for energy, but there are serious problems in production, in storage and in utilization that we need to solve and fortunately, we have Norwegian and Chinese companies working together right now to solve these problems here in China and also in Norway," he said.

Others pointed to how China's NEVs, lithium-ion batteries, and photovoltaic products - collectively known as the "new three" tech-intensive green products - have become a key driver of economic growth while contributing to global efforts to combat climate change.

"China's EV industry, it's the world leader today. And so much of the renewable energy sector really is dependent upon China. You think about lithium, magnesium, cobalt, graphite, all of those critical resources, and then you think about things like photovoltaics, wind, solar -- China is the leader. So in many respects, China's commitment to the green economy is going to really stand China in really good stead for decades to come," said David Hill, chief operating officer of Deloitte Asia.

Meanwhile, Zhu Min, former vice president of the International Monetary Fund (IMF), emphasized China's technological strength across several green-related fields.

"China's wind and solar power, electric vehicles, hydrogen energy, and even energy storage, among others, have all reached the global forefront. Technological strength has become a key factor in attracting new energy investments to China. The global consensus is clear -- if you can't gain a foothold in China's new energy sector, you won't be able to stand firm globally," he said.

Boao Forum attendees optimistic about China's fast-growing new energy sector

A media host in Myanmar on Friday recalled what he described his "most memorable" life experience when a violent 7.7-magnitude rocked the South Asian nation at around 12:50 local time on the same day, appealing for international assistance to the country's disaster relief efforts.

Myanmar's state-run television said the death toll in Friday's earthquake that struck central parts of the country has so far climbed to 1,002 with 2,376 more injured, while a lot of others remain missing.

Zwe Thet Paing, a host for Myanmar International Radio, shared his personal experience when the strong tremor was felt in Yangon, the country's largest city, in an exclusive interview with China Global Television Network (CGTN).

"It happened like around 01:00 pm local time. It happened during my break time. I was chilling with my coffee and with my co-workers, and the building started shaking. Soon, I was like, 'Oh, what's going on, what's happening?' The shaking (was) getting stronger and intense. So, I got a realization, 'Oh, the earthquake is really happening right now in Myanmar.' So, of course, I ran away as fast as I can," the host recounted.

Much of the devastation has been reported in Mandalay, the country's second-largest city that lies close to the epicenter of the quake.

Based on what he had learned about the aftermath of the disaster, the media host said the total loss and damage remain difficult to estimate.

"The situation in Mandalay is really bad right now. The Clock Tower near Mandalay, monastery, collapsed, and was damaged. And the obvious part is the Old Sagaing Bridge sustained damage. I'm sure it's already on social media, part of the Mandalay Moat collapsed and was damaged. So, I think some historical sites from the Myanmar kingdom era have collapsed, so it's really difficult to estimate the total loss and damage," he said.

The Myanmar government has released an emergency announcement regarding the earthquake and assembled a committee to provide assistance to those affected, the host said, calling on the international community to help.

"We need international assistance. Please support us, please pray for Myanmar. We need emergency help, especially in Mandalay," he added.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said on Friday that the United Nations system is mobilizing to support people in need in Myanmar and other Southeast Asian countries which have also been affected by the quake.

Myanmar media host recalls moment of earthquake, appealing for int'l support to relief efforts