Chinese embassies and consulates around the world have been holding receptions to mark the 77th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China which lands on Thursday, with guests taking the chance to highlight the country's development in the new era in areas such as new energy, technology, and electric vehicles.
The Chinese Consulate General in New York hosted a reception on Monday to mark the occasion, drawing over 400 guests from across the consular district and from foreign consulates based in the city.
Many attendees noted that China's sci-tech advances in recent years reflect the pace of its innovation and offer fresh opportunities for deeper cooperation between China and the United States.
"So what I mentioned in the speech is solar, wind power, electric vehicles, electric vehicle batteries and stuff that China has now in a way leapfrogged," said Stephen Orlins, president of the National Committee on United States-China Relations.
"China's commitment to EVs, just as an example, is basically a two-decade story. I think the U.S. could learn from maybe being a little more patient [and] look further down the road to see what the prospects are," said Anthony Moretti, associate professor of communication at Robert Morris University.
"It's really wonderful to see things as they have grown so much in China," said David L. Reich, president of The Mount Sinai Hospital and Chief Clinical Officer of the Mount Sinai Health System, as he also extended his congratulations to the country's anniversary.
Meanwhile, the Chinese Embassy in Belgium and the Chinese Mission to the EU held a reception towards the end of September, marking both the 77th anniversary of the PRC's founding and 55 years of China-Belgium diplomatic ties.
"Today, Belgium-China relations are broad and positive. We have also noted China's remarkable achievements in innovation. I wish the Chinese people a happy National Day," said David Clarinval, Belgium's deputy prime minister as well as the Minister of Employment, Economy and Agriculture.
At a recent National Day reception hosted by the Chinese Embassy in Brazil, attendees commended the achievements China has made in its path to modernization.
"This year marks the 52nd anniversary of our diplomatic relations. Witnessing China's achievements over this period gives me a sense of joy and pride, and has left me truly amazed. It has been a tremendous leap forward. I congratulate the Chinese people and the Chinese government," said Susan Kleebank, Brazil's deputy minister of Foreign Affairs.
At another National Day reception hosted by the Chinese Embassy in Nigeria, attendees from various sectors exchanged views on the bilateral friendship between the two countries and jointly voiced their wish for lasting and ever-stronger Nigeria-China ties.
Chinese missions around world stage events to mark PRC's 77th founding anniversary
Greater international cooperation is essential to supporting clean energy transition efforts, especially at a time when the current geopolitical tensions are placing a strain on supplies and reshaping the overall global energy landscape, according to a senior official from the World Energy Council (WEC).
Adnan Z. Amin, Chair of the Officers' Council of WEC, a London-based organization which seeks to promote a sustainable global energy supply, gave his assessment of the most pressing challenges in this field in a recent interview with China Global Television Network (CGTN) in Beijing.
It came after WEC released its 2026 World Energy Trilemma Report, which highlighted that the global energy system is undergoing a real-time rebalancing as surging electricity demand collides with geopolitical disruptions and infrastructure constraints.
Noting this difficult geopolitical backdrop, Amin stressed the need to rebalance the energy system against these current challenges.
"I think if you look at the scale of the disruption that we have right now, we have disruption in traditional energy supplies coming out of the Gulf; we have the crisis in the Strait of Hormuz, now potentially in the Red Sea. It has caused an energy crisis that is unprecedented since the 1970s -- so, in the last 50 years, probably the most severe energy crisis that we've seen. And I think what it has really begun to focus people on, as far as the trilemma is concerned, is that we have different legs of the trilemma -- there's affordability, there's sustainability, there's predictability -- all of these things. The argument we are making now is that the energy system is dynamic, and we need to look at rebalancing within the trilemma," he said.
In the face of these issues, Amin highlighted China's leading role in pushing forward the global energy transition, supported by its technological progress in areas such as new energy vehicles and the country's integrated planning approach which is mapping out a longer term pathway.
"China has assumed a leading role, without any doubt. Its domestic achievements are immense. It's by having an integrated planning approach, which has built the infrastructure, created the policy tools and the industrial policy required to make it happen, and allowed the integration of variable renewables together with digitization in a way that has created a seamless, balanced and reliable power system with low costs. At the international level also, China is the main exporter of technology -- solar panels, wind turbines, EVs (electric vehicles), battery storage: very competitive, very good-quality equipment. I drive a Chinese EV, I have to confess, and I will not drive anything else. [They are] extremely reliable, competitively priced, and equipment generally coming from China has begun to acquire this kind of dominance in the market. So from that point of view, China is in a very strong position," said Amin.
The official also stressed that closer cooperation on clean energy will bring benefits to all countries, with the key aim of reducing emissions and tackling climate change being one of the central goals.
"How we deal with this, I think, is through understanding, dialogue and collaboration. Because at the end of the day, it has to be a win-win scenario. Nobody wants to be in a losing position. I think it's to highlight that we need clean energy, we need clean mobility. We are facing a global threat of climate change, we need to use whatever means we can have to reduce emissions. And if China is providing it, we have to have a dialogue about how we can do it in a way that everybody wins," said Amin.
Greater global cooperation essential to clean energy transition amid geopolitical chllenges: WEC chair
