From 16 to 18 September, the 2026 ASEAN-China Environmental Cooperation Forum was held in Nanning, Guangxi. The theme of this year’s forum was “From Vision to Action: Co-Creating a Green Development Future.”

Sui Guohua, Vice Governor of the People’s Government of Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region; Cui Dandan, Inspector of the Department of International Cooperation of the Ministry of Ecology and Environment of China; and Sanjay Wijesekera, UNICEF Regional Director for East Asia and the Pacific, attended the opening ceremony and delivered remarks. Kao Kim Hourn, Secretary-General of ASEAN, addressed the forum via video message.

Remarks by Sui Guohua, Vice Governor of Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region


In her remarks at the opening ceremony of the 2026 ASEAN-China Environmental Cooperation Forum, Sui Guohua noted that Guangxi has consistently maintained a leading position nationwide in terms of ecological and environmental quality. She added that the official opening of the Pinglu Canal has injected fresh momentum into regional green development and open cooperation.

This year marks the 35th anniversary of the establishment of dialogue relations between China and ASEAN, as well as the 5th anniversary of the China-ASEAN Comprehensive Strategic Partnership.

Sui stated that Guangxi will continue to leverage its strategic position as a key gateway for cooperation with ASEAN by strengthening coordination in green industries and jointly developing a new model of low-carbon and circular development. Guangxi will also work with ASEAN partners to enhance regional climate resilience, promote exchanges and mutual learning in science, technology and culture, and further deepen practical cooperation in green and low-carbon development.

Through these efforts, Guangxi aims to contribute greater wisdom and strength toward building a closer China-ASEAN community with a shared future and creating a prosperous and beautiful home for the region.

Keynote Address by Chen Liang, Director-General of the Department of Ecology and Environment of Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region


During his keynote address, Chen Liang, Director-General of the Department of Ecology and Environment of Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, introduced Guangxi’s achievements in strengthening the ecological security barrier in southern China and transforming ecological advantages into development advantages.

He highlighted that Guangxi shares both land and maritime connections with ASEAN and possesses rich biodiversity resources. New energy has become the largest source of electricity generation in Guangxi, while the development of the Pinglu Canal has fully incorporated green and ecological principles.

Chen stated that Guangxi looks forward to working with ASEAN partners to jointly build a beautiful regional home, share new opportunities brought by artificial intelligence, and strengthen climate resilience.

The aim is to promote greater alignment in green development concepts, deeper integration of green industries, stronger connectivity in green technologies, and wider sharing of green development achievements.

Launch of the ASEAN-China Strategy and Action Framework for Environmental Cooperation (2026–2030)


Keynote speeches were delivered successively by Li Xia, Deputy Director General of the China-ASEAN Environmental Cooperation Center / Foreign Environmental Cooperation Center of the Ministry of Ecology and Environment of China; Cuk Supriyadi Ali Nandar, Chairman of the Energy and Manufacturing Research Organization at the National Research and Innovation Agency of Indonesia; Ma Chansethea, Director at the General Directorate of Policy and Strategy of the Ministry of Environment of Cambodia; Bounyoua Khamphilavanh, Deputy Director at the Department of Environment of the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment of Laos; and Wang Qian, Acting Representative of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) in China.

During the event, the China-ASEAN Environmental Cooperation Strategy and Action Framework (2026–2030) was officially released. Participants highly acknowledged the achievements of ASEAN-China environmental cooperation, expressing their commitment to leveraging the forum to build regional consensus on environmental governance and to translate cooperative outcomes into concrete actions toward implementing the United Nations 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

The forum featured an opening ceremony, four parallel sub-forums, and a series of side events including the China-ASEAN Expo Green and Low-Carbon Exhibition. Discussions centered on key topics such as regional green and low-carbon transition, climate resilience capacity building, implementation of international environmental conventions, green finance innovation, and green technology cooperation, aiming to foster a closer China-ASEAN community with a shared future.

Nearly 300 delegates attended the event, representing environmental authorities from ASEAN nations, local departments of ecology and environment in China, international organizations, research institutes, and industry representatives. Having been successfully convened for 14 editions, the China-ASEAN Environmental Cooperation Forum has become a vital platform for policy dialogue, experience sharing, and pragmatic cooperation in ecological and environmental protection between China and ASEAN.

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