China-Saudi efforts boost climate hopes
‘Laggard’ neighbors will be spurred on to meet green goals, analysts say
“The changing global geopolitical dynamics will bring (Saudi Arabia) closer to China in a wide range of climate changerelated sectors.” SALMAN ZAFAR Founder of EcoMENA, a think tank in Doha, Qatar
China and Saudi Arabia’s reaffirmed climate cooperation can benefit neighbors in Asia and the Middle East that are lagging in their climate commitments, experts said.
In a phone conversation between Chinese President Xi Jinping and Saudi Arabian Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman Al Saud on April 15, the two leaders exchanged views on the Russia-Ukraine conflict and discussed strengthening the synergy between China’s Belt and Road Initiative and Saudi Arabia’s economic diversification blueprint, Vision 2030.
Xi also asserted support for Saudi Arabia’s Middle East Green Initiative, launched last year, and welcomed the Arab nation’s participation in the Global Development Initiative that was unveiled by Xi at the UN General Assembly in September.
Glenn Wijaya, an adviser to the Center for Indonesia-China Studies, said the climate cooperation between China and Saudi Arabia is a welcome initiative that will have significant impact on how countries in Asia and the Middle East achieve goals set out in the Paris Agreement — the global climate change treaty adopted in 2015.
Deniz Istikbal, an economic researcher at the Foundation for Political, Economic and Social Research, a policy think-tank in Ankara, noted that China and Saudi Arabia were facing some common challenges, including issues related to Afghanistan.
China and Saudi Arabia have both been sending humanitarian aid to Afghanistan, following the chaotic pullout last August of the US troops there. Afghanistan also has been experiencing its worst drought in almost 30 years.
“The recent conversation between (the prince) and Xi assumes great significance (against) the backdrop of the Ukraine crisis. The changing global geopolitical dynamics will bring (Saudi Arabia) closer to China in a wide range of climate change-related sectors, especially renewable energy, energy efficiency, waste management and sustainability,” said Salman Zafar, founder of EcoMENA, an environmental think tank in Doha, Qatar.
The Saudi-Chinese climate cooperation is based primarily on large-scale investments and technology transfer in the solar energy sector, he said, citing the partnership between Saudi Arabia’s ACWA Power and China’s Silk Road Fund.
In 2019, China’s infrastructure investment fund, the Silk Road Fund, signed an agreement to purchase a 49 percent stake in Saudi Arabian company ACWA Power, whose development portfolio includes a number of renewable energy projects.
Zafar also noted Saudi Aramco’s close cooperation with China on hydrogen energy, which is “definitely going to speed up” Saudi Arabia’s energy transition.
According to the Green Future Index 2022 — an annual ranking of 76 nations and territories on their ability to develop a sustainable, lowcarbon future for their economies and societies — countries that made progress on building a green future were mostly developed nations.
At least 16 European countries made it to the top 20. China, which leaped to 26th place from 45th in 2021, was recognized for making notable gains in greening its society.
Meanwhile, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates — ranked 51 and 41 respectively — are among a group the index labeled as “climate laggards” for making “slow or uneven progress or commitment” toward building a green future. Among others in this group were Vietnam, Pakistan, Australia, the Philippines and Thailand.
The “climate abstainers” category — for countries that will be “left behind in the green future” through lack of progress and commitment toward developing a modern, clean and innovative economy — included such countries as Indonesia, Ukraine, Malaysia, Turkey and Qatar.
“The Green Future Index 2022 highlights that certain countries, such as Indonesia (that are) heavily reliant on foreign investment, particularly in the extraction of natural resources, are trailing far behind in terms of implementing green policies,” said Wijaya.