On September 27, the 2026 annual meeting of the China Council for International Cooperation on Environment and Development (hereinafter referred to as the CCICAD) opened in Beijing. The theme of this year’s annual conference is “Pragmatic Innovation and Cooperation, Jointly Advancing Towards a Green Future.” Minister of Ecology and Environment and Chinese Executive Vice Chairman of the China Council for International Cooperation on Environment and Development, Huang Runqiu, presided over the opening ceremony and delivered a keynote address.

　　Huang Runqiu pointed out that the world is currently undergoing a century of profound changes at an accelerating pace, and the triple crises of climate change, biodiversity loss, and environmental pollution are intensifying, posing severe challenges to humanity’s sustainable development. In recent years, under the scientific guidance of Xi Jinping's thoughts on ecological civilization, China has unswervingly followed the path of ecological priority and green development, coordinated industrial restructuring, pollution control, ecological protection, and response to climate change, and continuously planted a green background for high-quality development. The quality of the ecological environment has been continuously improved, the momentum of green development has been continuously enhanced, the level of modern environmental governance has been continuously improved, and the contribution of global environmental governance has been continuously demonstrated, becoming a firm action and important contributor to the world's green development.

　　Huang Runqiu emphasized that the "Tenth Five-Year Plan" is a key stage for the construction of a beautiful China to link the past and the future, expand the area and improve the quality, and achieve a fundamental improvement in the ecological environment. We will pay more attention to environmental protection for the people, continue to deepen pollution prevention and control and ecosystem optimization; pay more attention to source governance, accelerate the comprehensive green transformation of economic and social development; pay more attention to reform and innovation, and accelerate the improvement of the ecological environment governance system; pay more attention to national action and extensive Condense the strong synergy of building a beautiful China; pay more attention to global participation, continue to deepen bilateral and multilateral environmental and climate cooperation, and strive to make new major progress in the construction of beautiful China, contribute China's wisdom and strength to global environmental and climate governance.

　　Huang Runqiu pointed out that in the past five years, the Seventh CCICED has carried out in-depth Sino-foreign joint research around the main line of "green, inclusive, and high-quality development", and formed a series of policy recommendations to effectively serve China's environment and development, and also to promote the world. Sustainable development provides important reference. It is hoped that the National Cooperation Council will continue to play its role as a platform, further promote practical cooperation, and promote the fruits of green development to better benefit all people. Further stimulate innovation momentum and inject greater power into the global green transformation. We will further lead global governance and promote the construction of a more equitable and reasonable global environmental governance system with win-win cooperation.

　　Dabruxin, Executive Vice Chairman of the Foreign Affairs Council and Minister of Environment and Climate Change of Canada, attended the opening ceremony and delivered a keynote speech. Xie Zhenhua, vice chairman of the CCICED, Steiner, vice chairman of the CCICED and former director of the United Nations Development Programme, and Halvorson, vice chairman of the CCICED and former director of the Oslo International Center for Climate and Environmental Research in Norway, attended the opening ceremony and delivered speeches.

　　Li Gao, Vice Minister of the Ministry of Ecology and Environment and Secretary-General of the National Council for International Trade, attended the opening ceremony and made a work report. Wei Zhongga, chief adviser to the foreign side of the CCICAD and senior researcher of the International Institute for Sustainable Development, and Liu Shijin, chief adviser to the Chinese side of the CCICAD and former deputy director of the Development Research Center of the State Council, respectively introduced the CCICAD 2026 report and draft policy recommendations. Participants and experts discussed hot issues and policy recommendations.

　　This annual meeting will set up 3 plenary meetings, 5 thematic forums and research. About 400 Chinese and foreign members of the China International Cooperation Council, Chinese and foreign experts, and partners attended the meeting.

　　The CCICED is an international high-level policy advisory body approved by the Chinese government in 1992. It is composed of high-level people, experts and scholars in the field of environment and development at home and abroad. It has become the longest, highest-level, most fruitful and most influential environment and development in China. High-level dialogue and cooperation mechanism between China and foreign countries. Over the years, the CCICED has conducted research on major issues in the field of environment and development in China and the world, and put forward policy recommendations, which have played a positive role in promoting the construction of a beautiful China and the process of global sustainable development.