China's emphasis on promoting sci-tech innovation and advancing green development is set to offer vital opportunities for countries across the Global South to embrace a high-tech, sustainable future, supported by green technology cooperation, according to Chinese officials.
The goals outlined in China's 15th Five-Year Plan period (2026-2030), a key blueprint mapping out the country's development priorities for the coming years, are in the global spotlight at the country's annual "two sessions" taking place this week in Beijing.
A major event in China's political calendar, the "two sessions", refer to the annual meetings of China's top legislature, the National People's Congress (NPC), and the top political advisory body, the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC).
In the latest five-year plan cycle, China has signaled it will push ahead with its "new quality productive forces", a new growth model which stresses sci-tech innovation to drive development, and make more efforts to advance the green transition.
This is good news for the Global South and Africa, in particular, as it presents a unique opportunity to skip the polluting "smokestack" era and directly transition into the digital and green age through deepening cooperation with China.
Speaking on the sidelines of the "two sessions", Tian Jiqun, a deputy to the NPC, highlighted the potential for transferring China's advanced manufacturing capabilities to African markets.
"I think it's about bringing China's advanced manufacturing equipment, especially with the background of new-quality productive forces, to create new application scenarios in Africa's vast market. This will improve local manufacturing levels and serve local economic and social development," she said.
Meanwhile, Feng Yidong, a member of the CPPCC National Committee , noted that China's leading position in green tech could help Global South countries avoid the environmental pitfalls of early industrialization.
"Because China's current green technology is, to some extent, already in a relatively leading position internationally. Some Global South countries may still be in a relatively extensive development stage. So we can promote and introduce some of our green, low-carbon, high-quality technologies to these countries," he said.
With 2026 marking the 70th anniversary of China-Africa diplomatic ties, green manufacturing has emerged as a new engine for cooperation, with China's leading green technologies providing African nations with the tools to build a sustainable, self-reliant future without environmental cost.
"We also hope that China's technologies for new quality productive forces can assist our African friends and friends from other countries in the world in advancing their national development and improving people's livelihood," said Sun Xianzhong, another NPC deputy.
"China and Africa now enjoy a very close relationship. The Chinese people have always held friendly feelings toward Africa, and we have always approached this cooperation with sincerity and earnestness. Legally speaking, we have played a positive role in all areas of economic and trade cooperation, and we look forward to even better progress in the future," he added.
China's new development plan to fuel green tech growth in Global South: officials
