From August 26 to 30, 2025, as the implementing organization for the China Council for International Cooperation on Environment and Development (CCICED) Special Policy Study (SPS) on Green Development Cooperation, the BRI International Green Development Coalition (BRIGC) conducted a study tour with the research team in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. The team was co-led by Mr. Zhang Jianyu, Chinese Deputy Co-chair of the SPS and Chief Development Officer of BRIGC, and Ms. Li Zhong, Core Expert of the SPS and Deputy Director General of the Energy Research Institute of National Development and Reform Commission. Ms. Katherine Hasan, Core International Expert of the SPS and Analyst at the Center for Research on Energy and Clean Air, joined the study tour.

Exchange with the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environmental Sustainability of Malaysia

Exchange with the Khazanah Research Institute

Exchange with TNB

The research team conducted over 10 exchange activities with Malaysian government departments including the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environmental Sustainability, the Ministry of Energy Transition and Water Transformation, and the Ministry of Economy; think tanks such as Kahzanah Research Institute and Sunway University; as well as Power China Asia Pacific, Tenaga Nasional Berhad (TNB), Hextar Group, and NCT Smart Industrial Park (NSIP). These exchanges provided multifaceted insights into the current status, challenges, and international cooperation opportunities regarding Malaysia’s energy transition. Discussions covered topics related to renewable energy, green data centers, carbon market development, low-carbon industrial parks, and regional international cooperation.

Workshop on Green Development Cooperation

During the study tour, the team organized an international workshop at Sunway University. Mahendhiran Sanggaran Nair, Pro Vice-Chancellor at Sunway University, delivered the opening remarks. Zhang Jianyu presented the overall progress of the SPS on behalf of the research team. Lo Sze Ping, CCICED Special Advisor and Chief Representative of the Beijing Representative Office of the Sequoia Climate Foundation, delivered closing remarks representing the International Co-chair of the SPS. In-depth discussions on climate change response and energy transition was made by experts and scholars from Sunway University, the UN Sustainable Development Solutions Network (SDSN), the Batu constituency in Kuala Lumpur, Treo Capital Malaysia, and Peking University. They provided valuable suggestions from perspectives of government, think tanks, and private sector for innovating international cooperation model on green development and enriching research outcomes. The workshop was held in hybrid form and joined by about 20 participants from the CCICED Secretariat, SPS team, as well as experts and partners.

The CCICED SPS on Green Development Cooperation is Co-chaired by Mr. Li Yonghong, CCICED Deputy Secretary General, Vice President of BRIGC and Director General of Foreign Environmental Cooperation Center (FECO) of Ministry of Ecology and Environment, as well as Ms. Christie Ulman, CCICED Member and President of the Sequoia Climate Foundation. The SPS aims to review the history of North-South and South-South cooperation in environment and development, summarize opportunities and challenges in international green development cooperation, identify key areas and explore innovative models for such cooperation in the new era, and provide policy recommendations for formulating medium-to-long term plans for green development cooperation.