On October 25, 2026, in Hong Kong, a conference brought three types of people to the same table: new energy equipment suppliers from mainland China, power plant developers from Southeast Asia, and investors from the Middle East. They are discussing the same issue - how to turn a solar power plant on a desert from a blueprint into reality. Technology is in China, projects are in Southeast Asia, money is in the Middle East, and what is missing in between is a bridge.

The Alliance Conference opens in Xiangjiang

The opportunity to bridge comes from the second general meeting of the the Belt and Road Green Development International Alliance. The conference held in Hong Kong on October 25th was the first time that the alliance brought its general meeting to Hong Kong. In order to promote green cooperation along the the Belt and Road, the Environment and Ecology Bureau of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government and the Ministry of Ecology and Environment of the People's Republic of China will set up a cooperation platform for green development along the the Belt and Road in 2026, and promote exchanges and cooperation among countries and regions along the Belt and Road in green technology, policies and capacity building through the network of alliances.

The alliance is jointly initiated and established by the Ministry of Ecology and Environment of China and Chinese and foreign partners, aiming to consolidate international consensus on green development, carry out open, inclusive, and win-win international cooperation and action practices in green development, and promote sustainable development and build a clean and beautiful world through the provision of scalable green technology solutions, testable green financial tools, shareable digital empowerment platforms, and replicable capacity building paradigms. At present, the alliance has gathered over 170 partners from more than 40 countries, including environmental authorities from 26 co building countries.

At the 2026 general meeting, the Director of Environmental Protection of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government, Xu Haoguang, was elected as a member of the Alliance, and Sino Group and Hong Kong Exchanges and Clearing Limited were accepted as new members of the Alliance. The inclusion of a real estate company and an exchange simultaneously highlights two things that Hong Kong can offer: landing scenarios and international funds.

The New Role of Hong Kong

Xu Haoguang said at the general meeting that Hong Kong actively plays the role of super contact and super value-added person, which can provide a docking platform for green technology, green capital and green standards, and help the Belt and Road countries to promote green transformation by virtue of a sound legal system, professional services and an international business environment.

This is not a polite remark. The total amount of green and sustainable bonds arranged for issuance in Hong Kong in the first half of 2026 reached 20.2 billion US dollars, ranking first in Asia for eight consecutive years in terms of scale; Multiple innovation and technology parks have gathered over 300 green technology companies. Only when funds, technology, and regulatory standards are in place can Hong Kong dare to say that it is a value-added person, not just a transit station.

Innovation Conference Relay Debuts

The day after the membership meeting, a larger stage continued to open. Xu Haoguang said that the the Belt and Road Green Innovation Conference 2026 was opened in Hong Kong on the 26th. This conference is jointly organized by the Ministry of Ecology and Environment and the Environment and Ecology Bureau of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government. The theme focuses on working together for green transformation in the South and promoting global sustainable development. It includes an opening ceremony, keynote speeches, achievement releases, and thematic dialogues. Representatives from governments, financial institutions, enterprises, universities, and international organizations from more than 30 countries around the world exchange ideas on topics such as green finance, green innovation, and green infrastructure. The conference also released the flagship report of the alliance, providing a path reference for the global South to enhance climate resilience.

From the membership conference to the innovation conference, Hong Kong put the platform, funding, technology, and standards on the same table in two days. Xu Haoguang said that Hong Kong would continue to play its strengths and make contributions to China's high-quality joint construction of the green the Belt and Road. For countries waiting for power plants to land, the significance of this table is very real: technology can find projects, funding can find exports, and green transformation finally has a clear account to calculate.Editor/Yang Meiling