Chinese green energy solutions are powering sustainable transformation across the Asia-Pacific region, from solar fields in Laos to waste-to-energy breakthroughs in Vietnam.
Achieving prosperous and sustainable development in the region is closely tied to green cooperation. One notable initiative of such cooperation is a photovoltaic project which broke ground in northern Laos in December 2024.
Funded by China's General Nuclear Power Corporation (CGN), the project is jointly constructed by the CGN and over 70 other Chinese and Laotian enterprises, marking the first large-scale photovoltaic project in Laos.
"Covering an area of about 2,100 hectares, the photovoltaic field will be able to generate 3.75 million kilowatt-hours of electricity daily, sufficient to meet the energy needs of 1.2 million households," said Wang Xiupeng, the project manager.
Additionally, a 500-kilovolt power interconnection line between China and Laos, expected to be completed in 2026, will allow Laos to transmit surplus electricity to Yunnan Province in southwest China while receiving power from China during shortages, facilitating a two-way electricity exchange.
Another example of green development cooperation is the Chinese-invested Soc Son waste-to-energy plant in Hanoi, Vietnam, which began operations in 2022.
It can handle more than 5,000 tons of trash per day, or over 80 percent of the Hanoi's garbage, and has made important contributions to improving the city's appearance and environment.
"Since the waste-to-energy project in Soc Son, Hanoi, was put into operation, there have been no unpleasant odors in the entire waste processing area. The surrounding environment has also improved, now featuring green hills and clear waters," said Li Aijun, president of a Chinese green energy company in Hanoi.
"Our project generates approximately 2.1 million kilowatt-hours of electricity daily, with around 1.85 million kilowatt-hours fed into the grid. This is enough to meet the electricity needs of 180,000 households. Our grid-connected power takes up one-tenth of Hanoi's total electricity consumption," said Li Ke, general manager of a Chinese green energy company in Hanoi.
Chinese solutions drive green development across Asia-Pacific countries
China's small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) continued to post steady and positive growth in 2025, with value-added output of industrial SMEs above the designated size rising 6.9 percent year on year, according to the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology.
The update was released at a State Council Information Office press conference on industrial and information technology development held on Wednesday, where Zhang Yunming, the ministry's vice minister, outlined the high-quality development progresses of SMEs in 2025.
"In 2025, the value-added output of industrial SMEs above the designated size rose by 6.9 percent year on year, while the SME export index reached 52.4 percent in December, continued the steady expansion for 21 consecutive months," he said.
Over the past year, China has cumulatively nurtured 17,600 specialized and innovative “little giant” enterprises, more than 140,000 specialized and innovative SMEs, and more than 600,000 technology- and innovation-oriented SMEs. These “little giant” enterprises have an average research and development investment intensity of 7 percent, with a total of 460,000 invention patents, averaging 26.6 per enterprise, highlighting strong innovation capacity.
"Authorities will formulate a dedicated plan to promote SME development during the 15th Five-Year Plan period. We will fully implement regulations aimed at ensuring timely payments to SMEs, intensify efforts to clear overdue payments while resolutely curbing new arrears, and better protect the legitimate rights and interests of SMEs. Revisions to SME classification standards will also be accelerated to improve the precision and effectiveness of policy support," Zhang said.
Further measures will focus on building mechanisms to support the growth of specialized and innovative SMEs to produce novel and unique products, establishing the first group of national SME public service demonstration platforms and bases, and rolling out a three-year action plan for tiered cultivation of high-quality enterprises. China will also explore the creation of specialized and innovative empowerment centers for SMEs, improve the tiered development system for SME-focused industrial clusters, and promote coordinated and integrated development among large, medium and small enterprises, he added.
China's major SMEs register positive annual growth in 2025
