Zhejiang releases blue book on sustainable development zones to polish green development background

China News Service, Huzhou, November 11 (Lan Yini) As the main battlefield for economic development, how should development zones continue to stimulate innovation vitality? On the 11th, the Sustainable Development Zone Exploration and Zhejiang Development Zone’s “Hundred Districts, Thousand Products” Market Expansion series of green and low-carbon special events were held in Anji, Huzhou, Zhejiang. The “Sustainable Development Zone Blue Book – High-Quality Development Practice of Zhejiang Development Zone in the New Era” (hereinafter referred to as the “Blue Book”) was officially released at the meeting.

In 2025, Zhejiang took the lead in exploring sustainable development zones and formulated the "Zhejiang Sustainable Development Zone Group Standards". The "Blue Book" released this time is based on the development reality of Zhejiang Development Zones, systematically sorting out the conceptual connotation, practical dilemmas and implementation paths of sustainable development zones, and filling the theoretical gaps in related fields.

Tian Maoli, a researcher at the Public Policy Institute of Zhejiang University and vice president of the Zhejiang Corporate Social Responsibility Promotion Association, believes that the blue book proposes for the first time a definable, measurable, and constructible development zone transformation path, forming a closed loop of methodology of practice, theory, standards, evaluation, and iteration, which can provide a pioneering demonstration for the high-quality development of development zones across the country.

"In the past, overseas parks wanted to learn from China's development zones, but we could only provide experience but not standards." Zheng Ninghai, executive vice president of the Zhejiang Development Zone Research Association, said that the blue book focuses on the six sustainable dimensions of "openness, industry, elements, green, governance, and corruption." It not only provides a reference basis for self-testing and self-evaluation of China's development zones, but also provides a standardized basis for development zones to carry out international cooperation.

During the event, a new batch of Zhejiang Provincial Sustainable Development Zone exploration scenarios were released, and the first phase of the list of green and low-carbon products was also released, including zero-carbon transformation solutions and services, energy-saving and carbon-reduction equipment products, etc.

Li Qingrong, a second-level inspector of the Zhejiang Provincial Department of Commerce, expressed the hope that the development zone will make good use of the blue book and learn from the good experiences and practices of advanced development zones in exploring high-quality development; expand the exploration scenarios, timely summarize and promote new ideas to the entire province of Zhejiang and even the country; expand the green market, use activities as a link to promote more green and low-carbon products and services to go global, and make green a distinctive background to expand the market and win the future.