Foreign diplomats praise Hebei’s development of new energy sources

SHIJIAZHUANG, Aug. 25 (Xinhua) — Seeing the fleet of solar panels and windmills stretching across the grassland plains of Zhangbei, Suriname’s ambassador to China Pick Fung Ho-Chong was amazed by the rapid development of China’s renewable energy sector.

“You go from something very rural to a place where you see incredible technology,” she said. “It’s like walking into a wonderland.”

This harmonious view of nature and people was shared by Ho-Chong and others in a delegation of senior diplomats and representatives from 23 countries and international organizations. From Aug. 20 to 23, they traveled four days to Zhangjiakou and Shijiazhuang, two cities in northern China’s Hebei Province that are at the forefront of green energy innovation.

They visited the China national wind and solar energy storage and transmission demonstration project in Zhangjiakou.

“It’s impressive,” said Bulgarian Ambassador to China Andrey Tehov. “It’s the first time I’ve seen a scene like this, with solar and wind power combined. It’s promising.”

During his trip, Tehov also visited a wind power equipment manufacturing cluster that exports wind turbines to Bulgaria.

“They are already contributing to our green transformation. And I hope that this trend will continue and maybe we can even expand cooperation,” the ambassador noted, adding that Chinese new energy products are “probably the most advantageous at the moment” in terms of “value for money.”

Zhangjiakou, with the richest wind resources in Hebei Province and about 3,000 hours of sunshine per year, is an ideal place to develop renewable energy. It is located in the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region, one of the main energy consumption centers in China, with huge demand for green energy.

Here, the delegation visited the largest ultra-large-scale computing power cluster in Asia, which provides big-data services to Chinese internet giants. The power supply for data centers in the area is 100 percent green.

“It really opened our eyes to what China is doing in the field of new energy,” noted Tanzanian Ambassador to China Khamis Mussa Omar.

He said China’s investment in clean energy innovation and past successes allow developing countries to avoid following the same path others have taken.

In addition to solar and wind energy, hydrogen energy is also developing rapidly in Hebei. During the 2022 Winter Olympics, more than 800 hydrogen fuel cell buses transported world athletes and officials between Beijing and Zhangjiakou.

There are currently more than 5,000 buses, trailers, forklifts and other vehicles powered by hydrogen fuel cells manufactured in Hebei in China.

Walking along the assembly line of a hydrogen fuel cell plant, the diplomats showed great interest in cost control, commercialization and the prospects of this new technology.

“It’s really, really encouraging. It’s an example for the rest of the industry to follow,” said Marcelo Gabriel Suarez Salvia, Argentina’s ambassador to China.

Ian Marshall, Grenada’s ambassador to China, praised China for its wide range of hydrogen applications over the years, describing them as “quite amazing”.

“It’s a testament to the determination and skill of the Chinese people, and it’s also a testament to the forward-thinking of the company’s and government’s leaders. I think that’s commendable,” Marshall said.

During the trade conference on promotion and cooperation in the new energy sector, many diplomats and representatives expressed their willingness to further strengthen cooperation with China.

“On China-Africa cooperation, we are looking forward to the 2024 Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) summit in September this year. We hope that the new clean energy agenda will feature prominently there,” said Tanzanian Ambassador Omar.

Stephen Kargbo, Representative of the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) in China, noted that UNIDO is deeply committed to supporting Hebei’s efforts to become a leader in the new energy sector. “Green energy will drive green industrialization. And of course, green industrialization will drive green economic growth,” he said.

At the end of the conference, after speaking with business representatives to explore opportunities for further cooperation, Ho-Chong, the Surinamese ambassador, said: “I am always impressed by the development in this sector. China never ceases to surprise us.”