Foreign diplomats acclaim Hebei's new-energy development

SHIJIAZHUANG, Aug. 25 -- Seeing a fleet of solar panels and windmills spreading over the Zhangbei Grassland, Surinamese Ambassador to China Pick Fung Ho-Chong was amazed at the rapid development of China's renewable energy sector.

"From something very rural, you get into the location where you see amazing technology," she said. "It's just like going 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 completed a four-day tour to Zhangjiakou and Shijiazhuang, two cities in north China's Hebei Province, where an innovation highland of green energy is taking shape.

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

"It's impressive," said Bulgarian Ambassador to China Andrey Tehov. "For the first time, I see such a scene, with a combination of solar power and wind power. It is promising."

During his journey, Tehov also visited a wind-power equipment manufacturing cluster that has exported wind turbines to Bulgaria.

"They are already contributing to our green transition. And I hope that this trend will continue, and maybe we can even expand cooperation," noted the ambassador, adding that Chinese new-energy products are "probably the most favorable nowadays" in terms of "quality-to-cost ratios."

Zhangjiakou, with the richest wind resources in Hebei Province and about 3,000 hours of sunshine per year, is the perfect place to develop renewable energy. It is located in the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region, one of China's major power consumption hubs with a huge demand for green power.

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

"It really opened our eyes with regard to what China has been doing on new energy," noted Tanzanian Ambassador to China Khamis Mussa Omar.

He said that China's investment in clean energy innovation and the success it has achieved so far make it possible for developing countries to avoid going down the same path that other countries have followed.

Besides solar-wind power, hydrogen energy is also developing rapidly in Hebei. During the 2022 Winter Olympics, over 800 buses equipped with hydrogen fuel cells shuttled global athletes and officials between Beijing and Zhangjiakou.

Currently, more than 5,000 buses, trailers, forklifts and other vehicles fueled by made-in-Hebei hydrogen cells are operating across China.

Walking along the assembly line of a hydrogen fuel cell manufacturer, the diplomats showed great interest in the cost control, commercialization and 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, Argentine ambassador to China.

Ian Marshall, Grenadian ambassador to China, commended China for its wide array of applications of hydrogen over the years, describing it as "quite amazing."

"It shows the determination and the skill of the Chinese people, the advance of futuristic thinking of the company leaders and government, and I think it's commendable," said Marshall.

At an exchange conference on new energy industry promotion and cooperation, many diplomats and representatives expressed their wish to further enhance collaboration with China.

"For Sino-African cooperation, we look forward to the upcoming 2024 Summit of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) this September, hoping the new clean-energy agenda will feature prominently," said Omar, the Tanzanian ambassador.

Stephen Kargbo, the United Nations Industry and Development (UNIDO) representative to China, noted that UNIDO is deeply committed to supporting Hebei's efforts to become a leader in the new energy sector. "Green energy would drive green industrialization. And of course, green industrialization would drive green economic growth," he said.

At the end of the conference, after talking with business representatives to seek opportunities for further collaboration, Ho-Chong, the Surinamese ambassador, said: "Every time, I'm so impressed by the development in this sector. China never ceases to surprise us."

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