Ten years of Taiyuan Forum: What can a coal-rich province bring to the world?

China News Service, Taiyuan, September 6. Title: Ten years of Taiyuan Forum: What can a coal-rich province bring to the world?

China News Service reporter Fan Lifang

September 2026, Taiyuan, Shanxi. On the banks of the Fen River and the Xiao River, the 10th Taiyuan Energy Low-Carbon Development Forum (hereinafter referred to as the "Taiyuan Forum") arrived as scheduled.

Ten years is only a blink of an eye in the long history, but for the global energy transformation, these ten years have seen black fade and green become thicker; high-carbon deceleration and low-carbon acceleration have become a critical period for global energy transformation. How can an energy forum born in China's coal-rich province still be vibrant after ten years? What has it contributed to the world?

A "window": Let the world understand China's energy transformation path

The Taiyuan Forum is a "window" that continues to showcase China's energy revolution to the world.

In 2016, with the approval of the State Council, the first Taiyuan Forum opened with the theme of "green development of black coal, low-carbon development of high-carbon resources", creating a two-way linkage model of "forum discussion + industry expo". At that time, the outside world was full of doubts about the transformation path of China, the world's largest coal consumer.

On September 7, 2016, Taiyuan, Shanxi Province, the 2016 Taiyuan Energy Low-Carbon Development Forum and China (Taiyuan) International Energy Industry Expo opened at the China (Taiyuan) Coal Trading Center. Photo by China News Service reporter Wei Liang

Throughout the ten-year theme sequence, the topic setting of the Taiyuan Forum has always resonated with the national energy strategy. The first forum in 2016 faced the practical difficulties of transforming a coal-rich province; in 2018, it aligned with the new energy security strategy of "Four Revolutions and One Cooperation", elevating local exploration to a global perspective; in 2022, in line with the national "dual carbon" strategy, the forum quickly anchored a new direction; in 2024, it introduced "new energy productivity" to respond to the new proposition of high-quality development; in 2026, it used "innovation acceleration" as the keyword to start the next journey of exploration.

What the world sees through this window is that the proportion of China's advanced coal production capacity has increased significantly, the installed capacity of clean electricity exceeds that of coal power, and the cumulative output of unconventional natural gas during the "14th Five-Year Plan" period reached 75 billion cubic meters. The changes in Shanxi Province reflect the pace of the world's largest energy consumer country towards green and low carbon.

A "bridge": Let East and West find a common language in energy dialogue

The Taiyuan Forum continues to build a dialogue bridge connecting the East and the West.

Over the past ten years, the forum has invited more than 1,300 important foreign guests from the United Nations and more than 70 countries to attend the forum, 25 foreign dignitaries gave speeches on the stage, and more than 130 envoys to China participated in roundtable dialogues. Israel, Iceland, Mexico, Cuba and other countries have successively served as guest countries. In 2026, the United Kingdom will become the guest country and adopt the "double guest of honor" model for the first time. The forum has gradually grown from a regional forum to a high-end energy and low-carbon dialogue platform with international influence.

What deserves more attention is the depth of dialogue. Since its establishment in 2016, the Taiyuan Forum has been positioned as “national, international, and professional.” With the development of the forum, "international conferences" have gradually evolved from individual settings to a regular and large-scale core structure, and topics such as the transformation of the entire energy industry chain, green finance, and carbon management have entered the international discussion agenda.

On September 4, 2026, the 2026 Taiyuan Energy Low Carbon Development Forum opened at the Shanxi Xiaohe International Conference and Exhibition Center. The picture shows foreign guests attending the forum’s opening ceremony. Photo by China News Service reporter Wei Liang

Iceland’s zero-carbon experience and Shanxi’s coal transformation case were discussed at the same venue. Mexico’s mine methane utilization technology and China’s energy storage research were connected on the same platform. The Taiyuan Forum has become a “Chinese voice” that cannot be ignored in global energy governance.

A "laboratory": finding solutions to common problems in the global energy transition

The Taiyuan Forum is a “laboratory” that continues to contribute ideas to solve energy transition problems around the world.

How to transform coal resource-based areas? This is a common problem faced by the world. The Ruhr area in Germany, Appalachia in the United States, and Shanxi in China are all exploring their own answers. The unique value of the Taiyuan Forum is that it is not just about "sitting and talking", but also "getting up and doing it".

In ten years, the forum has transformed from conceptual consensus to project signing and technology implementation. The Shanxi Research Institute of Huairou Laboratory is rooted in Taiyuan, focusing on clean coal conversion and new energy storage to carry out "4+1" major national scientific and technological research; the global headquarters of Huawei's Mining Corps has settled in Taiyuan... signing projects, publishing reports, and docking technologies, forming a complete chain of "ideational enlightenment - technology demonstration - resource gathering - project implementation".

This model of "local practice + national platform + international cooperation" provides a reference model for the transformation of other resource-based regions around the world.

A “consensus”: Let low-carbon development become the greatest common denominator across civilizations

The Taiyuan Forum continues to build a consensus: low-carbon energy development is a common proposition for all mankind, regardless of east or west, north or south.

Over the past ten years, the forum has always anchored the global energy low-carbon transformation trend. From the initial clean utilization of coal to today's hydrogen energy, energy storage, artificial intelligence, carbon market, and electricity and carbon accounting collaboration, the topics have continued to expand, but the core has always been "how to allow humans to obtain and utilize energy in a cleaner way."

As Shanxi Provincial Party Committee Secretary Tang Dengjie said at the 2026 Taiyuan Forum International Roundtable Dialogue, maintaining energy security and responding to climate change are common challenges that human society must face together; accelerating green and low-carbon energy development is an opportunity of the times shared by all countries in the world.

In 2026, the forum launched the "Ambassador Teahouse" activity for the first time, using tea as a medium to talk about energy transformation and cultural exchanges in a relaxed atmosphere. This attempt to place serious issues in a humanistic context sends a signal that energy transition is not just a technical issue or an economic issue, but also a matter of civilized dialogue.

Looking back ten years, what the Taiyuan Forum provides is the experience of "how a large coal province turns around, how a large developing country fulfills its commitments, and how the East and the West find a common language in the face of common challenges."

In the next decade, when the global energy transformation enters the "deep water zone", the world is looking forward to whether the Taiyuan Forum can continue to answer the questions of the times. (over)