The China Council for International Cooperation on Environment and Development’s (CCICED) the three-day 2018 Annual Meeting ended November 3 at Beijing’s Diaoyutai State Guest House. The meeting’s theme was Innovation leads to a new era of green development. The Research Institute of China’s Green Development (RICGD) at Tianjin University participated in the meeting and hosted the Beautiful China 2035 Forum.

Together with the German International Cooperation Institute (GIZ) the RICGD who were one of the organizers for the project of Goals and Paths for 2035 Environmental Quality Improvement organized this year’s forum, Beautiful China 2035. The forum included approximately 40 committee members, special advisors, observers and experts both domestic and foreign.

The forum was divided into two parts, goals and indicators of environmental quality, and mechanism and policy innovation. Professor Sun Youhai, Dean of the Law School at TJU and Executive Dean of the RICGD, delivered a speech concerning the first part, which garnered attention received positive feedback from the attendees. The attendees actively participated in the discussion and contributed with constructive suggestions as well as pointed out that the environmental governance blueprint is of great significance to better the environment. Further suggestions to improve China’s environment and to achieve the goal of Beautiful China 2035, are that people should seize opportunities and carefully deal with the existing challenges and uncertainties, that climate change problems should be dealt with a low-carbon economy, a green economy and a circular economy.

At the CCICED plenary meeting on November 3 on behalf of the research group of Goals and Paths for 2035 Environmental Quality Improvement, Professor Sun reported the research progress of the group and the discussion on the forum. Sun pointed out that ecological civilization construction and beautifying China is not only a fundamental blueprint for the sustainable development of the Chinese nation, but also a social issue concerning people’s livelihood. He also expressed that Beautiful China 2035 is a strategic goal of ecological construction based on China’s conditions and demands for development, highly recognized throughout society. Professor Sun also gave suggestions, which were positively received, on comprehending the significance of the 2035 environmental quality improvement goals and dealing with obstacles to ensure the goals are achieved.

In addition to the plenary meeting and the Beautiful China 2035 forum, a round-table meeting on green development and several forums concerning marine environmental governance, green consumption and transformation were also held.

The China Council for International Cooperation on Environment and Development (CCICED), founded in 1992, is a non-profit and international high-level policy advisory institution chaired by national leaders. The CCICED mainly deals with exchanges of successful experiences in international environmental development and research on major issues of China's environmental development. It provides Chinese government officials and decision makers at all levels with progressive and strategic suggestions, which ensures sustainable development and resource conservation and an environment-friendly society.