Dear Mr. Jiao Yufeng, Secretary of the Leading Party Members Group of the China Council for the Promotion of International Trade Shanxi Provincial Committee;  

Mr. Mi Bingsheng, Vice Chairperson of the China Council for the Promotion of International Trade Shanxi Provincial Committee;  

Mr. Lv Jianguo, Deputy Secretary of the CPC Committee and General Manager of China Energy Engineering Group Shanxi Electric Power Engineering Institute Co., Ltd.;  

Distinguished quests, ladies and gentlemen, esteemed colleagues, representatives from government, industry, academia and international organizations,

Good afternoon.

It is a great pleasure to join you today at the Shanxi Energy International Cooperation Exchange. I would like to thank the organizers and our partners in Shanxi for bringing together such a diverse group of stakeholders to discuss one of the defining challenges and opportunities of our time: how to accelerate a just, inclusive, and sustainable energy transition.

We now have less than four years remaining to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Yet the latest assessment of global progress shows that only 35 per cent of SDG targets are on track or making moderate progress, while many have stagnated or are even regressing.  

Against this backdrop, the energy transition has become one of the most important pathways for delivering sustainable development outcomes. Energy underpins economic growth, industrial competitiveness, employment, health, education, and climate resilience. The choices we make today will not only determine our emissions trajectory – it will shape the world for future generations.

For more than two decades, UNDP has partnered with China in advancing sustainable energy solutions, including pioneering work related to hydrogen and fuel-cell technologies, energy efficiency, low-carbon development and green innovation. Through this partnership, we have witnessed the remarkable progress China has achieved in transforming its energy system while creating new green industries.  

Our experience has reinforced the fact that energy transformation is not only a climate imperative. It is also an opportunity.

It is an opportunity to stimulate innovation, create quality jobs, improve energy security and unlock new engines of growth, while at the same time ensuring environmental sustainability.

Today, advanced technologies and digital systems leveraging artificial intelligence are opening new possibilities for industrial decarbonization, and sustainable finance is helping direct capital towards low-carbon innovation. However, technology alone is not enough.

To achieve greater scale, we need supportive policies, internationally recognized standards, transparent governance frameworks and commercially viable business models.  

We also need stronger collaboration between governments, enterprises, financial institutions and development partners to ensure that innovation translates into practical and inclusive outcomes.

This is where international cooperation remains indispensable.

Climate change, energy security, and sustainable development are global challenges that require global solutions. No single country can achieve the SDGs in isolation. International cooperation enables us to exchange knowledge, mobilize greater investment, and accelerate progress.

It helps turn local innovations into global solutions and global experiences into local action.

In this regard, Shanxi can play a particularly important role.

As one of China's traditional energy-producing provinces, Shanxi is undergoing a profound transformation toward greener, more diversified and higher-quality development. The province's experience demonstrates both the opportunities and complexities of transitioning from a resource-based economy while safeguarding economic growth, employment and social stability.

With its capital, Taiyuan, as one of the 11 National SDG Demonstration Zones, the lessons emerging from Shanxi's transition are not relevant only for China. They are increasingly valuable for many regions around the world facing similar challenges of industrial restructuring, energy transition and sustainable development. Shanxi's practical experience can therefore make meaningful contributions to the global conversation on how to achieve a just transition.

I had the pleasure of visiting Pengfei Group in Xiaoyi of Lvliang yesterday, which provided me with a valuable opportunity to see energy transition efforts in practice – from intelligent digital management systems to hydrogen refueling and hydrogen vehicle manufacturing.  

The visit highlighted the tremendous potential for traditional industrial enterprises to pursue cleaner energy pathways through technology and industrial upgrading, when combined with enabling policies, viable business models, and credible standards.

UNDP stands ready to continue working with our partners in Shanxi, across China, and globally to support innovative solutions that advance sustainable energy, green industrialization and inclusive development.

As we move toward 2030, the question is no longer whether the energy transition will happen or not. The question is how we can accelerate its speed and ensure that it is fair and beneficial for people and communities.

Let us use today's dialogue to identify practical partnerships, scalable innovations and shared solutions that can advance progress toward both China's development objectives and our collective Global Goals.

I wish this exchange every success and look forward to the discussions ahead.

Thank you.