China-EU think tank discusses practical collaboration on green governance

An academic seminar of a China-EU think tank cooperation project on green governance was held in Beijing on Thursday, with participants from both sides hailing it as a vital platform for frank dialogue and practical collaboration amid escalating global climate challenges.

The Think Tank Engagement on Green Governance is a two-year project led by China's Ministry of Natural Resources' Consulting and Research Center, Land Consolidation and Rehabilitation Center, and Research Center for Territorial Spatial Planning, as well as Germany's Hanns Seidel Foundation.

The project has brought together 24 think tanks from China and Europe, with delegations traveling to eight European countries and five Chinese provinces for field visits.

"If we can't manage to foster dialogue between the EU and China, especially on climate topics, the ones who will pay the price are people and the planet in the end," Debora Tydecks-Zhou, chief representative of the Hanns Seidel Foundation's Beijing office, said.

Tydecks-Zhou noted that the field visits across China and Europe are a cornerstone of the project, allowing participants to move beyond theoretical discussions and see firsthand how climate policies are implemented on the ground — from restored mining sites to local energy and water projects.

"These visits really helped us see how to turn ambitious climate language into systems that work on the ground," she said.

A highlight of the seminar was a series of local case studies presented by Chinese provinces on ecological restoration and green development — an area where European participants said China's experience offers valuable lessons.

In Suqian, Jiangsu province, a 269-million-yuan ($40 million) wetland restoration project along the abandoned Yellow River channel was funded entirely by private capital. This project restored nearly 480 hectares of degraded land and improved water quality from the worst level of inferior Class V, which means heavily polluted and largely unusable, to Class III, suitable for drinking water sources after treatment and fisheries. Additionally, the number of wetland bird species in the area increased from 62 across 33 families to 76 across 36 families, significantly boosting biodiversity.

"The key was giving enterprises confidence," Wang Yong, director of the Suqian Natural Resources and Planning Bureau, said.

"We signed legal agreements clarifying usage rights and revenue entitlements, and packaged idle farmland, shoreline and water areas into manageable asset bundles."

In Shandong province, the Mount Tai ecosystem restoration project — a 22.6-billion-yuan initiative covering more than 15,000 square kilometers — leveraged 13.3 billion yuan in social capital to repair over 1,500 hectares of mining land and treat 9,000 hectares of coal subsidence areas.

"The project explored a replicable Taishan model — a full-cycle management system covering concept, principles, tasks, safeguards and standards to ensure scientifically sound implementation," Zhang Hui, deputy head of the Shandong Coalfield Geology Planning and Survey Research Institute, said.

Sergiy Moroz, policy manager for biodiversity and water at the European Environmental Bureau in Belgium, said Europe faces "exactly the same issues" in nature restoration.

"The big barrier is lack of funding," Moroz said. "I saw a lot of similarities. The question is what mechanisms you use."

Moroz emphasized the urgency of scaling up nature-based solutions across Europe amid the escalating climate crisis, adding that countries need to learn from each other's approaches to tackle shared environmental challenges.

Beyond case studies, the seminar highlighted a glossary mapping terms with divergent meanings in Chinese and European policy contexts. Produced under the project, it aims to reduce misunderstandings in bilateral and multilateral negotiations.

Researchers from both sides have also developed policy papers incorporating both perspectives, offering recommendations to decision-makers after field visits and in-depth discussions across China and Europe to support more coordinated and effective climate action.

Liu Li, deputy director of the Consulting and Research Center, said the project has become an influential think tank for exchanges between China and the EU.

Liu noted that what sets the project apart is its commitment to face-to-face dialogue, a jointly produced glossary and co-authored policy papers, underscoring its important role in facilitating exchanges and deepening mutual understanding on green governance.