GENEVA — A group of Chinese experts said on Nov 26 that infrastructure investment is an important part of any development initiatives, and as for the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), China has been emphasizing on green development from the very beginning.

Speaking at a seminar of the 8th Session of the UN Business and Human Rights Forum focusing on "sustainable infrastructure", Gao Shiji, an expert from China's Development Research Center of the State Council, said that the Chinese government has issued detailed guidelines for Chinese companies participating in BRI projects to promote green development.

He told the audience that in the Vision and Actions on BRI announced in 2015, China has made it clear that for investment in infrastructures, "efforts should be made to promote green and low-carbon infrastructure construction and operation management, taking into full account the impact of climate change on the construction."

Zhou Taidong, from the China Center for International Knowledge on Development, said at the seminar that the BRI has contributed, and will continuously contribute, to the social economic development of partner countries and the global implementation of the 2030 Agenda.

"BRI has delivered better lives to peoples of different countries. The 82 economic and trade cooperation zones within BRI framework have created nearly 300,000 local jobs," he noted.

As another example, Zhou said, the Karot Hydropower Project in Pakistan, when completed, will provide clean energy for five million people.

He also mentioned that the second Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation, which was held in April 2019 in Beijing, emphasized the principles of open, green and clean cooperation and a sustainable approach.

Wang Xigen, Dean of the Law School of the Huazhong University of Science and Technology, told Xinhua after the seminar that China attaches great importance in promoting the right to sustainable development through the BRI.

"The Chinese government emphasizes on encouraging enterprises to abide by the laws and regulations of the host countries' environmental protection policies, to concern about local people's environmental protection demands, to strengthen the establishment of corporate credit systems, and to protect the ecological environment," Wang said.