ANKARA, April 29 (Xinhua) -- China's commitment at the second Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation (BRF) in Beijing to promote green development is "an inspiring move," said Turkish experts.
"Such a strong commitment by China to the green cause and sustainable development is frankly a real inspiring move," said Selcuk Colakoglu, director of Turkish Center for Asia Pacific Studies.
"China is becoming a model for most of the Asian countries which are struggling for a more viable environment, such as India," said Colakoglu, a professor on international relations.
At the three-day BRF which ended on Saturday, China has made clear its commitments to incorporate green strategies by releasing the Guidelines on Promoting Green Belt and Road and the Belt and Road Ecological Cooperation Plan. These documents outline a vision for sustainability.
China also promised to address climate change with more developing countries, a point welcomed by experts.
"China has made it clear that it sees the green cause as a strategic goal for sustainable development and setting a norm in this field and, in this context, is leading the way for other countries which don't have a good record in environmental issues," pointed out Colakoglu.
Proposed by China in 2013, the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) refers to the Silk Road Economic Belt and the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road, and aims to build a trade and infrastructure network connecting Asia with Europe and Africa through the ancient trade routes of the Silk Road.
Turkey is a keen participant to the massive project and supports the multi-dimensional connectivity network that the BRI promotes.
Many countries are expected to bring up their national climate plans ahead of the 2020 deadline agreed by the international community under the Paris Agreement, and promoting the green cause is an effective way to reach younger generations and explain them the meaning of the BRI in this respect, noted Colakoglu.
"Green policies demonstrate how the BRI is a comprehensive and modern project," remarked this expert, indicating that the "self-confidence that China has demonstrated in this regard is admirable."
While the United States is pulling out from international treaties on environment such as the Paris Agreement, China, on the contrary, is heeding to international concerns and adopting a responsible stance on green growth, said Altay Atli, lecturer at Istanbul's Koc University and an expert on Asia-Pacific.
"We see an important effort by China as the country and its administration are conscious that there can not be sustainable development without clean energy," he pointed out.
The expert also noted that the BRI constituted an opportunity for inclusiveness as it is committed to common development by following established international rules.
"This means that if we want to save the planet, we are obligated to work together, and China is determined to lead the way for environmental issues because it is aware that the green cause is a condition sine qua non for development," added Atli.
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