China becomes world's top clean energy consumer, equipment manufacturer: official

China has become the world's largest clean energy consumer and equipment manufacturer, with sectors including hydropower, wind power, photovoltaic (PV) facilities and nuclear power units under construction all ranking No.1, Zhang Shaogang, vice chairman of the China Council for the Promotion of International Trade, said at the ongoing China International Supply Chain Expo (CISCE) in Beijing.

With the advantage of scale production in the new energy industry chain, China is actively strengthening international cooperation in clean energy and steadily promoting the construction of the "green" Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), Zhang said.

He said China has carried out green energy cooperation with more than 100 countries and regions. China-made PV modules and wind turbines hold more than 70 percent of the world market, making the country an important force in stabilizing global clean energy industry and supply chains, according to Zhang.

China's progress in the clean energy sector, which covers the entire industry chains of PV, wind power and new-energy vehicles, provides practical, cost-effective and mutually beneficial solutions for the global green transformation, Lin Boqiang, director of the China Center for Energy Economics Research at Xiamen University, told the Global Times on Wednesday.

"China's clean energy technologies are as advanced as those of developed countries, and practical cooperation between China and other countries will boost technological advances," Lin said, noting that certain Western countries' crackdowns on China would have a negative impact on the world's green energy transition.

As a responsible large country, China earnestly acts on the vision of green development, supports the green and low-carbon construction and operation of infrastructure facilities, and enhances international cooperation in climate response.

The construction of the Al Dhafra PV2 Solar Power Plant in the United Arab Emirates, built under contract by a Chinese company, has been fully completed.

China has undertaken other clean energy projects, such as the Sachal wind power project in Pakistan, the Noor III solar-thermal power plant in Morocco, the Al Kharsaah PV power station in Qatar and the Garissa PV power plant in Kenya, according to China's Foreign Ministry.

Having the Baihetan hydropower plant and Kela PV power station - the world's largest hydro-PV complementary power station - Southwest China's Sichuan Province has drawn much attention at the CISCE with its clean energy transition. The province signed multiple international cooperation agreements on clean energy with a total value of 1.8 billion yuan ($254 million).

Turkish Ambassador to China Ismail Hakki Musa said at the CISCE that the clean energy transition is one of the priorities of Turkey, and "we need to build a more sustainable and greener future. We're ready to conduct in-depth cooperation with China," media reported on Wednesday.