Guided by the theme “Green Transition for High-Quality Development: Modernization in Harmony with Nature” the China Council for International Cooperation on Environment and Development (CCICED) 2023 Annual General Meeting (AGM) took place from 28 to 30 August 2023 in Beijing and drew more than 500 high-level experts from government, research, the private sector and civil society delegates.

Chair Huang Runqiu, CCICED Chinese Executive Vice Chairperson and Minister of Ecology and Environment, opened the plenary session on Monday. He noted that China has put “ecological civilization” high on its national agenda, and integrated green development into its economic and social development processes.

The AGM discussions drew on proposed pathways and policy recommendations contained in eight “Special Policy Studies” (SPS) undertaken in the preceding year.

On the German side, Prof Dirk Messner (President of the German Environment Agency (UBA)) in his function as CCICED Council Member and SPS Co-Team Lead as well as Ms Ilka Hirt (Deputy Director-General for International Policy; German Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation, Nuclear Safety and Consumer Protection (BMUV)) in her function as CCICED Special Advisor participated. The Sino-German Environmental Partnership supported the German participation logistically and organisationally.