From June 9 to 10, 2025, the 2025 China-ASEAN Environmental Cooperation Week and Consultation Meeting on the China-ASEAN Environmental Cooperation Strategy and Action Framework 2026–2030 was successfully held at Tongji University. The event was co-organized by the College of Environmental Science and Engineering of Tongji University and the UNEP-Tongji Institute of Environment for Sustainable Development (IESD), with strong support from the Secretariat of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN Secretariat). It was jointly guided by the China-ASEAN Environmental Cooperation Center / Foreign Environmental Cooperation Center of the Ministry of Ecology and Environment (hereinafter referred to as “the Center”) and the Shanghai Municipal Bureau of Ecology and Environment.

Key attendees included Li Xia, Deputy Director-General of the Center; Chen Wei, Inspector of the Shanghai Municipal Bureau of Ecology and Environment; Heng Chanthoeun, Deputy Director-General of the General Directorate of Policy and Strategy of Cambodia’s Ministry of Environment; Fu Jie, Researcher from the Department of International Cooperation of the Ministry of Ecology and Environment of China; and Wang Zhiwei, Dean of the College of Environmental Science and Engineering at Tongji University.

Li Xia expressed gratitude to the ASEAN Secretariat, ASEAN member states, and partners for their long-standing support. She noted that China and ASEAN have concluded negotiations on version 3.0 of the China-ASEAN Free Trade Area, and the recent ASEAN Summit adopted the ASEAN Community Vision 2045, laying a strong foundation for deepened cooperation in green and sustainable development. She emphasized that the Center will continue working with ASEAN partners to seize new opportunities, deepen regional partnerships, and promote more practical cooperation in the environmental sector.

Chen Wei highlighted that Shanghai is vigorously promoting the construction of a “Beautiful Shanghai,” emphasizing innovation in green and low-carbon technologies and sustainable green finance. The city is advancing steadily toward becoming a modern international metropolis characterized by harmony between humanity and nature. Looking ahead, he expressed Shanghai’s willingness to deepen exchanges and cooperation with ASEAN countries in areas such as green technology innovation, green finance, green industry development, and climate change response, contributing significantly to the sustainable and low-carbon development of China-ASEAN cooperation.

Heng Chanthoeun affirmed the important role of the China-ASEAN Environmental Cooperation Strategy and Action Framework 2021–2025 in facilitating pragmatic cooperation in the field of green and sustainable development. He introduced Cambodia’s strategic documents, such as the Environmental Circular Strategy (2023–2028) and the Cambodia Climate Change Strategic Plan (2024–2033), and noted that future cooperation under the new China-ASEAN Environmental Cooperation Strategy and Action Framework 2026–2030 will further advance Cambodia’s environmental and climate goals.

In his remarks, Fu Jie stated that China and ASEAN, in pursuing the shared vision of “Building a Beautiful Home,” have made remarkable progress in green and sustainable development by adhering to the principles of mechanism-based cooperation, project-oriented implementation, and people-centered outcomes. Against the backdrop of accelerating global changes not seen in a century, he called for continued deepening of environmental and climate cooperation and for advancing regional green and low-carbon transformation, thus injecting new momentum into regional sustainable development.

Wang Zhiwei emphasized that climate change, biodiversity loss, and environmental pollution are global challenges that require joint efforts. Effective and practical solutions can only be developed and implemented through multi-stakeholder collaboration, interdisciplinary integration, and cross-cultural cooperation. He noted that Tongji University has made significant contributions in areas such as global environmental governance, ecological civilization, climate change, circular economy, and education for sustainable development. He expressed the university’s readiness to work closely with ASEAN partners to address pressing regional and global environmental challenges.

The event aimed to implement the Global Development Initiative and follow through on the instructions of national leaders by strengthening China-ASEAN consensus on green and sustainable development, promoting practical cooperation, and supporting the formulation of the new China-ASEAN Environmental Cooperation Strategy and Action Framework 2026–2030. Featured sessions included thematic roundtable dialogues and capacity-building activities on topics such as Regional Sustainable Energy Technologies and Climate Finance Dialogue, China-ASEAN Biodiversity Finance and Sustainable Management Practices, and Survey on Regional Sustainable Energy Technologies and Climate Finance. The China-ASEAN National Focal Points Meeting on Environmental Cooperationwas also held during the week.