The first quarterly Chief Advisors-Secretariat joint working meeting of the China Council for International Cooperation on Environment and Development (CCICED) of 2026 was held both in Beijing and online on February 4.

Liu Shijin and Scott Vaughan, CCICED chief advisors; Zhuo Zhuang, Deputy Director-General of the Department of International Cooperation of the Ministry of Ecology and Environment of China; and Lana Edwards, CCICED Special Advisor and Director-General of the Department of Bilateral Affairs and Trade at Environment and Climate Change of Canada, spoke at the meeting. The meeting was chaired by Li Yonghong, CCICED Deputy Secretary-General and Director-General of the Foreign Environmental Cooperation Center of the Ministry of Ecology and Environment.

Liu Shijin noted that against the backdrop of shifting global dynamics and the challenging of existing frameworks, confidence in the green transition is being tested. However, green transition has become deeply interwoven with technological innovation and industrial advancement, emerging as an irreversible trend. China will continue to vigorously advance green transition during the 15th Five-Year Plan period. It is essential to bolster confidence, enhance research quality, and address challenges while capitalizing on development opportunities.

Scott Vaughan noted that the meeting is intended to facilitate the exchange of research progress and strengthen interdisciplinary communication and cooperation. As the CCICED Phase VII draws to a close, over sixty high‑quality policy research reports have been submitted. He expressed his hope that each research team would systematically summarize the major achievements and key approaches in advancing green transition across various sectors over the past five years, and outline priority directions for future research. Against the backdrop of prevailing instability and uncertainty, he encouraged all participants to explore how China could make more substantial contributions — through sharing scientific data and professional expertise, fostering capacity‑building, and other means — to tackle global challenges.

Zhuo Zhuang expressed appreciation for all partners' long-standing support for the CCICED. He noted that, against the backdrop of increasingly severe domestic and international ecological and environmental challenges, as well as a turbulent external environment for global environmental governance, CCICED should take on a greater role. Guided by the annual theme of "Pragmatic and Innovative Cooperation, Advancing Together with Determination", he suggested that each research team concentrate on key issues in critical areas and propose forward-looking, actionable, and result-oriented policy recommendations. It is also important to deepen China-international collaborative research to jointly deliver substantive outcomes, systematically summarize working experiences for the planning of the next phase, and continue to strengthen CCICED's role as a bridge in international environmental governance.

Lana Edwards noted that despite current challenges within the multilateral system, international cooperation remains irreplaceable. CCICED has demonstrated through scientific research and practice that environmental protection and high‑quality development are not mutually exclusive. Moving forward, she expressed hope that CCICED will further emphasize gender equality and youth participation, incorporate diverse perspectives — including those of minority groups and the private sector — and advance coordinated research on interconnected issues such as climate, marine conservation and biodiversity. It is anticipated that, by fostering multilateral cooperation through CCICED's platform, concrete progress can be achieved in climate action and global environmental governance.

The CCICED 2025-2026 research year includes High-Level Task Force on China's Environment and Development Outlook, eight Special Policy Studies: "Implementation pathways, priority areas, and policy measures for the new round of NDC targets", "Promoting nature-positive policies and practice innovation", "Developing a new power system aligned with the next round of wind and solar growth targets", "Innovation in Green Financial Products and Services to Support Carbon Market Development", "Low-Carbon Transition Pathways for Key Industries in the Sustainable Blue Economy", "Advancing High-Quality Development Through Circular Economy with Smart Digitalization", "Green and Just Transitions Pathways for Traditional Energy Regions", and "Pathways to Advance Global Cooperation on Green Development". Representatives and experts from these research teams and Scoping Studies on "Building a Climate-Adaptive Society" and "Carbon Market Expansion and Innovation" introduced their initial research plans. The Secretariat presented CCICED research and activities plan for 2025-2026.

Representatives from CCICED research teams, partners, the CCICED Secretariat, and the Secretariat's International Support Office attended the meeting.