China-ASEAN Environmental Cooperation Forum 2018 was commenced on September 11, 2018 in Nanning, Guangxi, with the theme of “Big Data Driving Environmental Innovation”. Taking the Forum as an opportunity, China and ASEAN will engage in cooperation in big data to promote regional green and sustainable development.

Zhao Yingmin, Vice Minister of Ecology and Environment, noted in his opening remarks that in the past year, the Chinese government has issued major decisions on ecological civilization construction and eco-environmental protection concerning development concepts, top-level design, legislation and law enforcement, and institutional reforms, to promote breakthroughs in ecological and environmental protection.

In recent years, with the rapid development of information technology, big data has become an important strategic resource for countries and is driving a new round of technological innovation. Therefore, China and ASEAN countries should work together to enhance cooperation in environmental big data to reduce the gap in the development of environmental information and data, and improve and standardize environmental management, so as to further promote South-South environmental cooperation and support regional green and sustainable development.

Aladdin D. Rillo, Deputy Secretary-General for ASEAN-Economic Community of ASEAN Secretariat, pointed in his remarks that China-ASEAN Environmental Cooperation Forum is a “timely rain”, providing solutions to addressing the most urgent environmental challenges for ASEAN countries. It is necessary to discuss how to use big data to help address environmental issues. China is one of the global leaders in the development of digital economy, which will become an important driver for innovation and growth in the future.

Rillo proposed the use of big data to analyze and address some of the environmental challenges we are faced with today. Big data could help us to improve energy efficiency and monitor climate change and the consumption of water, so as to realize environmental sustainability and environmental protection. Big data could also be leveraged to conduct environmental risk assessment and help us to predict environmental risks.

According to Rillo, China-ASEAN Environmental Information Sharing Platform inaugurated on the Forum enables environmental information sharing among different countries, which helps us to learn about the best practices of ASEAN and China in the area of environment.

Yan Zhichan, Vice Governor of Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, noted in the opening remarks that Guangxi is the only province in China with both land and marine boundaries with ASEAN countries that is on the frontier of China-ASEAN cooperation. Therefore, Guangxi has been making full use of its geographical advantage to promote China-ASEAN strategic partnership. In 2017, import and export volume between Guangxi and ASEAN countries reached RMB 189.385 billion, accounting for 49% of total import and export volume of Guangxi Autonomous Region.

Guangxi will take the 15th anniversary of the establishment of China-ASEAN strategic partnership as a milestone and work together with ASEAN countries to open up a new chapter for China-ASEAN strategic cooperation in the new era. We will deepen communication and cooperation in ecology and environment, promote green, shared, and sustainable China-ASEAN development, and make greater contributions to building a closer China-ASEAN community of shared destiny.

During the Forum, eleven distinguished guests from China and ASEAN countries, including Zhao Yingmin, Vice Minister of Ecology and Environment of China; Yan Zhichan, Vice Governor of Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region; and Aladdin D. Rillo, Deputy Secretary-General for ASEAN Economic Community of ASEAN Secretariat, jointly announced the inauguration of China-ASEAN Environmental Information Sharing Platform.

As part of the 15^th China-ASEAN Expo, the Forum was jointly held by the Ministry of Ecology and Environment of China and the People’s Government of Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region with the support of ASEAN Secretariat and the Ministry of Environment of Cambodia. It is composed of one main forum and two sub-forums with the theme of “Eco-city Construction for Achieving the 2030 Agenda and SDGs” and “Green ‘Belt and Road’ Environmental Technology: Innovation and Cooperation”.

More than 400 Chinese and foreign guests attended the Forum, including senior officials from the Ministry of Ecology and Environment of China and environmental authorities of ASEAN member countries, representatives from ASEAN cities, UNEP and other international organizations, officials from local environmental authorities in China, scholars and representatives from the business circle.

China-ASEAN Environmental Cooperation Forum has been convened successfully for eight sessions in China since 2011. It has become an important platform for high-level environmental dialogues in the region that serves as a major channel for China and ASEAN to discuss environmental cooperation and a crucial bridge linking China and ASEAN communities involved in environmental cooperation.