On June 12, 2025, the forum on “Science and Technology Leading Carbon Peak and Carbon Neutrality”, hosted by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (NSFC), was successfully concluded at the Tianfu International Conference Center in Chengdu, Sichuan Province. As one of the key events of the 2nd Belt and Road Conference on Science and Technology Exchange, the forum brought together over 200 participants, including government officials, renowned scholars, and industry leaders from more than 20 countries and international organizations, to discuss pathways for green and low-carbon transition.

NSFC Vice President JIANG Song, Sichuan Provincial Vice Governor LI Wenqing, and Deputy Secretary-General of the Shanghai Municipal People’s Government XIA Kejia attended and delivered remarks. UN Resident Coordinator in China Siddharth Chatterjee addressed the forum via video. Academicians HE Kebin, HUANG Zhen, WANG Qi, and WANG Hualin of the Chinese Academy of Engineering, Academician Eicke R. Weber of German National Academy of Science and Engineering, President Evelina Slavcheva of Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, Academician Mohamed Talib Latif of the Academy of Sciences of Malaysia, and representatives from Belt and Road partner countries, participated in the forum. The forum was chaired by FAN Yingjie, Director-General of the NSFC’s Bureau of International Cooperation.

In his speech, Vice President JIANG Song emphasized that scientific and technological innovation is the pivotal driving force in addressing climate change. NSFC has continuously promoted green technology collaboration and knowledge sharing under the Belt and Road Initiative to facilitate global sustainable development through scientific and technological cooperation. He expressed the hope that the forum would forge consensus on green transformation technologies, strengthen Belt and Road synergies, and delineate practical pathways to bolster scientific exchanges under the Belt and Road framework.

The forum unveiled a series of landmark achievements, injecting new momentum into green transition under the Belt and Road Initiative. Key outcomes include the official launch of “the Alliance of Belt and Road Low-Carbon Technology Innovation and Cooperation”, the release of Technology List for Sustainable Development for Belt and Road Countries (2025), and the publication of Belt and Road Carbon Neutrality Technological Innovation Typical Case Studies.

The forum featured keynote speeches, typical case sharing, and a roundtable discussion. Academicians Eicke R. Weber and HE Kebin delivered keynote speeches on themes such as “Intelligent Manufacturing Technology for Advanced New Energy Industries” and “China’s Carbon Neutrality Technology Roadmap”. During the case sharing, representatives from the China-Ethiopia Renewable Energy Cooperation and China-Iraq Clean Energy Applications projects demonstrated how these technologies improved local livelihoods and economic growth via videos and on-site presentations. The roundtable discussion, centering on “Low-Carbon Technology Pathways Applicable in Belt and Road Countries” and “Emerging Technologies for Carbon Peaking and Neutrality”, brought together over 10 experts from institutions including King Abdullah University of Science and Technology of Saudi Arabia, the Academy of Sciences of Malaysia, and Tsinghua University. They engaged in in-depth discussions from multiple perspectives, such as technological adaptability and policy synergy, offering diversified transition strategies for Belt and Road countries.

CHEN Qizhen, Deputy Director of the Administrative Center for China’s Agenda 21 delivered the closing remarks. The forum has deepened innovation cooperation under the Belt and Road Initiative through scientific and technological exchanges, injected technological momentum into the building of a community with a shared future for mankind, and left a distinct green, low-carbon mark on the 2nd Belt and Road Conference on Science and Technology Exchange.

The forum was jointly organized by six institutions, including the Bureau of International Cooperation of NSFC and the Administrative Center for China’s Agenda 21.