On January 16, 2024, the China Council for International Cooperation on Environment and Development (CCICED), convened the online launch meeting for the thematic policy research on "Sustainable Trade and Sustainable Supply Chains" (2023-2024). The project is jointly undertaken by Liaoning University and Boston University. Yu Miaojie, deputy to the 14th National People’s Congress, Deputy Secretary of the Party Committee and president of Liaoning University served as the Chinese leader of the project. Kevin Gallagher, Director of the Boston University Global Development Policy Center, served as the foreign leader of the project. Liu Shijin, Chinese Principal Advisor of CCICED, Scott Vaughan, Foreign Principal Advisor of CCICED, and Li Yonghong, Assistant Secretary-General of CCICED and Deputy Director of the Foreign Economic Cooperation Office (FECO) of the Ministry of Ecology and Environment, attended the meeting and delivered speeches. Yin Ruyu, Chinese Coordinator of the project and Executive Director of the Institute for Sino-Russia Far East Cooperation and Development of Liaoning University, and Zhu Lin, Foreign Coordinator of the project and Program Manager of the Boston University Global Development Policy Center, presided over the meeting. Zhang Huiyong, Director General of the CCICED Secretariat, introduced the overall situation of the thematic policy research work of the CCICED and its arrangement for current year as well as expressed his expectation for the high-quality achievements of the research.
In his speech, Yu Miaojie elaborated on China's development in key emerging export industries, especially in the electric vehicle battery and solar panel industries. He emphasized the strategic significance of these areas in enhancing China's trade surplus, while deeply interpreting the positive impact of green trade initiatives and environmental technology products on promoting economic and technological progress in China and its trading partner countries. He also proposed a series of preliminary policy recommendations aimed at strengthening the integration of industry policies and environmental protection, deepening the linkage effect between China's exports and GDP growth, and promoting further boosting of international cooperation, providing a strategic guidance for global practice of sustainable trade and green transformation of supply chains.
Kevin Gallagher, the foreign leader of the project team and director of the Boston University Global Development Policy Center, focused on the importance of low-carbon and climate adaptive trade systems, emphasized the necessity of integrating green and low-carbon elements into the "the Belt and Road" policy agenda, and strategies to reduce carbon content in trade and investment flows. It provides a new perspective for understanding the connection between trade and climate change, and specific recommendations are made for promoting sustainable trade and sustainable supply chain projects.
The attending experts had in-depth discussions on topics such as low-carbon technology trade, green policy consistency, multidimensional impacts of supply chains, sustainability of key minerals in international trade, and the impact of climate change policies on global trade. They put forward multiple suggestions on promoting low-carbon growth in developing countries, enhancing green transformation of supply chains, and supporting energy transformation through international cooperation. These discussions and suggestions provide valuable perspectives and guidance for the next step of project implementation.
More than 60 representatives from the University of International Business and Economics, the Boston University Global Development Policy Center, the National Academy of Development and Strategy of Renmin University of China, Griffith Asia Institute of Australia, Institute of World Economics and Politics Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, College of Economics and Management of China Agricultural University, the Secretariat of CCICED and International Institute for Sustainable Development attended the conference.