Representative of the United Nations Development Program in China: China’s green transformation experience can provide lessons for developing countries

China News Service, Tianjin, September 17 (Zhou Yaqiang, Sun Yifei) Stefan Liller, representative of the United Nations Development Program in China, said in Tianjin on the 17th that green and low-carbon development is no longer just an environmental agenda, but a development and economic agenda. China’s green transformation experience can provide reference for other developing countries through South-South cooperation.

Li Sifan made the above remarks during an exclusive interview with a reporter from China News Service during the 2026 Green and Low Carbon Expo. The United Nations agencies in China set up theme exhibition areas and held green and low-carbon development forums at the expo, and the United Nations Development Program also organized sustainable procurement seminars for Chinese companies.

Li Sifan said that green transformation affects production and consumption, energy, financing, natural resource management and employment, and requires joint action by the government, enterprises, finance, research institutions and communities. "The solutions already exist, and the current challenge is to move from successful pilots to large-scale promotion."

China is the major issuer of green bonds in the world, and its issuance scale continues to rank among the top three in the world. Li Sifan said that China's green transformation is large-scale and covers a wide range of areas. Clean and low-carbon technologies have been developed, piloted and commercialized, and the role of sustainable finance has increased. Over the past 45 years, the cooperation between the United Nations Development Program and China has focused on renewable energy, hydrogen energy and fuel cells, the elimination of ozone-depleting substances, carbon markets, biodiversity financing and other fields. In the future, knowledge exchange and practical cooperation can be further promoted.

Talking about the expo, Li Sifan said that such platforms bring the global sustainable development agenda into concrete practice. Climate action and green transformation are ultimately implemented through cities, industries, enterprises and communities, helping governments, enterprises, research institutions and international organizations to learn from each other.

Li Sifan said that in terms of sustainable procurement, innovation, resource efficiency and low-carbon production should be encouraged to promote more responsible business practices. The United Nations Development Program's sustainable procurement project aims to help Chinese companies understand international sustainable standards and procurement processes and enhance global competitiveness.

"South-South cooperation not only shares solutions, but also shares the knowledge, experience and resources required for implementation. Developing countries should adjust based on their own national conditions, and international cooperation should respect the priorities of partner countries and learn from international experience." Li Sifan said.