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China Hosts Climate-Resilience Dialogue in Gansu, Showcasing Rural Green Transformation
On the dry, wind‑blown plains of Jiuquan, Gansu province, a two‑day symposium turned the desert into a living laboratory for climate resilience. The Sci‑Tech Empowering Rural Transformation: 2026 Climate Resilience and Green Transition Dialogue ran June 5–6, 2026 in Jinta County, aligning with World Environment Day and the United Nations Decade on Ecosystem Restoration (2021‑2030). The dialogue aimed to demonstrate how science and technology can help rural communities adapt to climate change and accelerate green development.
The event was a joint effort by the China Internet Information Center (CIIC), the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) Representation in China, the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) China Office, the Centre for Sustainable Agricultural Mechanization of the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP‑CSAM), and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in China. Additional support came from the China Green Foundation and Ant Forest Foundation—an initiative of Ant Financial Services Group.
More than 100 participants attended either in person or online, representing eight countries and a wide spectrum of stakeholders: international organisations, government agencies, embassies, United Nations entities, research institutions, private‑sector partners, civil‑society groups, farmers, and media representatives.
In his opening remarks, Yu Yunquan, vice president of the China International Communications Group (CICG), highlighted the growing importance of technology for ecological governance and rural development. He noted that China’s experience shows how technological innovation can move from “shaping the environment” to “creating value,” opening new avenues for sustainable growth.
Dima Al‑Khatib, director of the United Nations Office for South‑South Cooperation, stressed the need for sustained investment and collective action. He argued that South‑South and triangular cooperation, climate‑and‑development finance, and private‑sector engagement can mobilise resources, expertise and innovation to support communities, local actors, research institutions and practitioners at scale.
Stephen Jackson, UN resident coordinator in China, reflected on China’s long‑running afforestation programmes. He described the Three‑North Shelterbelt—also known as China’s Great Green Wall—as a massive, ongoing afforestation effort launched in 1978 to curb desertification, and cited Ant Forest, which has encouraged 700 million people to adopt environmentally friendly lifestyles and planted more than 600 million trees in fragile regions.
Deputy director‑general Ai Yinfang of the China International Center for Economic and Technical Exchanges (CICETE) underscored the importance of inclusiveness, localisation and synergy in implementing projects. She said CICETE would continue to identify replicable cases, promote capacity building for policymakers and practitioners in developing countries, and coordinate multilateral and bilateral resources to share China’s experience.
Huang Xiaochun, deputy secretary of the Communist Party of China’s Jinta County Committee, highlighted the county’s long‑standing fight against desertification. He noted that Jinta has completed 850,000 mu (56,700 ha) of afforestation and reforestation and protected 539,000 mu (35,900 ha) of desertified land. These efforts have led to continuous contraction of sandy and desertified areas for more than two decades, while local incomes have risen.
IFAD representative Nii Quaye‑Kumah underscored the organisation’s commitment to climate‑adaptive technologies, green energy and circular economies. He said that IFAD’s projects aim to keep vulnerable groups from being left behind.
Desertification control expert Lei Jiaqiang of the Xinjiang Institute of Ecology and Geography, Chinese Academy of Sciences, noted that China has become the first country to achieve zero net land degradation. He highlighted technologies such as straw checkerboard sand barriers, water‑efficient afforestation and the integration of photovoltaic power generation with ecosystem restoration.
Research fellow Xu Yinlong of the Institute of Environment and Sustainable Development in Agriculture, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, warned that global warming has increased the frequency and intensity of extreme climate events in China. He said that low‑carbon agricultural techniques can improve product quality, enhance carbon sequestration and reduce greenhouse‑gas emissions.
The dialogue produced a draft report titled Sci‑Tech Empowering Rural Transformation: 2026 Climate Resilience. The report, to be released in September, will be published in Chinese and English and will feature ten case studies that illustrate technology‑driven approaches to climate resilience and green transformation in rural communities.
During the event, participants visited an Ant Forest project site in Jinta County, where Haloxylon (saxaul)–Cistanche grafting and related desert‑based industry initiatives were showcased. On June 6, attendees also toured the 10,000‑mu Gobi Desert Agricultural Industrial Demonstration Park in Jiuquan’s Suzhou District. The IFAD‑supported park is modernising 682 greenhouses and promoting smart, automated, and standardised greenhouse production.
In closing, Mohamed Abdellahi El Vilaly, ambassador of the Islamic Republic of Mauritania to China, highlighted China‑Africa cooperation projects in Mauritania. He said that these projects set a benchmark for green development across Africa and demonstrate how knowledge exchange can transform environmental challenges into development opportunities.
The dialogue underscored the role of science and technology in advancing climate resilience and green transition in rural China. It also illustrated how international cooperation, public participation and innovative practices can contribute to the United Nations’ goals for ecosystem restoration, carbon neutrality and sustainable development.
The forthcoming report will provide detailed case studies and analysis of China’s shift from fragmented, sector‑specific approaches to coordinated, systemic governance of climate resilience and green transformation. The event’s outcomes and the report’s findings will inform policymakers, practitioners and investors working on climate‑adapted rural development worldwide.
The event was a joint effort by the China Internet Information Center (CIIC), the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) Representation in China, the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) China Office, the Centre for Sustainable Agricultural Mechanization of the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP‑CSAM), and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in China. Additional support came from the China Green Foundation and Ant Forest Foundation—an initiative of Ant Financial Services Group.
More than 100 participants attended either in person or online, representing eight countries and a wide spectrum of stakeholders: international organisations, government agencies, embassies, United Nations entities, research institutions, private‑sector partners, civil‑society groups, farmers, and media representatives.
In his opening remarks, Yu Yunquan, vice president of the China International Communications Group (CICG), highlighted the growing importance of technology for ecological governance and rural development. He noted that China’s experience shows how technological innovation can move from “shaping the environment” to “creating value,” opening new avenues for sustainable growth.
Dima Al‑Khatib, director of the United Nations Office for South‑South Cooperation, stressed the need for sustained investment and collective action. He argued that South‑South and triangular cooperation, climate‑and‑development finance, and private‑sector engagement can mobilise resources, expertise and innovation to support communities, local actors, research institutions and practitioners at scale.
Stephen Jackson, UN resident coordinator in China, reflected on China’s long‑running afforestation programmes. He described the Three‑North Shelterbelt—also known as China’s Great Green Wall—as a massive, ongoing afforestation effort launched in 1978 to curb desertification, and cited Ant Forest, which has encouraged 700 million people to adopt environmentally friendly lifestyles and planted more than 600 million trees in fragile regions.
Deputy director‑general Ai Yinfang of the China International Center for Economic and Technical Exchanges (CICETE) underscored the importance of inclusiveness, localisation and synergy in implementing projects. She said CICETE would continue to identify replicable cases, promote capacity building for policymakers and practitioners in developing countries, and coordinate multilateral and bilateral resources to share China’s experience.
Huang Xiaochun, deputy secretary of the Communist Party of China’s Jinta County Committee, highlighted the county’s long‑standing fight against desertification. He noted that Jinta has completed 850,000 mu (56,700 ha) of afforestation and reforestation and protected 539,000 mu (35,900 ha) of desertified land. These efforts have led to continuous contraction of sandy and desertified areas for more than two decades, while local incomes have risen.
IFAD representative Nii Quaye‑Kumah underscored the organisation’s commitment to climate‑adaptive technologies, green energy and circular economies. He said that IFAD’s projects aim to keep vulnerable groups from being left behind.
Desertification control expert Lei Jiaqiang of the Xinjiang Institute of Ecology and Geography, Chinese Academy of Sciences, noted that China has become the first country to achieve zero net land degradation. He highlighted technologies such as straw checkerboard sand barriers, water‑efficient afforestation and the integration of photovoltaic power generation with ecosystem restoration.
Research fellow Xu Yinlong of the Institute of Environment and Sustainable Development in Agriculture, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, warned that global warming has increased the frequency and intensity of extreme climate events in China. He said that low‑carbon agricultural techniques can improve product quality, enhance carbon sequestration and reduce greenhouse‑gas emissions.
The dialogue produced a draft report titled Sci‑Tech Empowering Rural Transformation: 2026 Climate Resilience. The report, to be released in September, will be published in Chinese and English and will feature ten case studies that illustrate technology‑driven approaches to climate resilience and green transformation in rural communities.
During the event, participants visited an Ant Forest project site in Jinta County, where Haloxylon (saxaul)–Cistanche grafting and related desert‑based industry initiatives were showcased. On June 6, attendees also toured the 10,000‑mu Gobi Desert Agricultural Industrial Demonstration Park in Jiuquan’s Suzhou District. The IFAD‑supported park is modernising 682 greenhouses and promoting smart, automated, and standardised greenhouse production.
In closing, Mohamed Abdellahi El Vilaly, ambassador of the Islamic Republic of Mauritania to China, highlighted China‑Africa cooperation projects in Mauritania. He said that these projects set a benchmark for green development across Africa and demonstrate how knowledge exchange can transform environmental challenges into development opportunities.
The dialogue underscored the role of science and technology in advancing climate resilience and green transition in rural China. It also illustrated how international cooperation, public participation and innovative practices can contribute to the United Nations’ goals for ecosystem restoration, carbon neutrality and sustainable development.
The forthcoming report will provide detailed case studies and analysis of China’s shift from fragmented, sector‑specific approaches to coordinated, systemic governance of climate resilience and green transformation. The event’s outcomes and the report’s findings will inform policymakers, practitioners and investors working on climate‑adapted rural development worldwide.
