With the Power of Light, Safeguarding the Coexistence of All Living Things
YEREVAN, Armenia, Oct. 29, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- The 17th Meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity (COP17) opened in Yerevan, Armenia, convening the first global stocktake of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework since its adoption. As the world moves from commitment to implementation, business action remains critical. On Oct. 29 local time, the China Corner side event at COP17 released the "Biodiversity Conservation Report Series of Chinese Enterprises", with State Grid Corporation of China ("State Grid") as a representative case, documenting China's efforts to align power grid development with biodiversity conservation.
The report spotlights three public welfare brand programs. "Birds' Guardian Grid" now spans 24 provinces, more than 40 major migratory bird habitats and all four migratory flyways in China, with over 16,000 birds rescued and protected. "Nests of Life" has standardized artificial-nest management under a "one nest, one file" system and expanded from Sanjiangyuan to plateau grassland areas in six provincial-level regions. "Green Power Ark" delivers zero-carbon electricity to remote habitats through wind-solar-storage microgrids and has been extended to 17 national-level protected areas across nine provinces.
The same event also saw the release of All Life Thrives in Shanghai: State Grid's Biodiversity Conservation Practices in Megacities • Shanghai. Focusing on State Grid Shanghai Municipal Electric Power Company, the report illustrates how biodiversity requirements are integrated across the power value chain, from planning, design and construction to operation and maintenance, dispatch, supply chain management, digital enablement and corporate responsibility initiatives.
Participants recognized State Grid's approach as a practical model. Across the three brand programs and the Shanghai megacity case, a consistent conclusion emerges: power grid infrastructure can be designed not as a disturbance to biodiversity, but as a supporting element of habitat protection. This is both a corporate contribution to China's implementation of the global biodiversity framework and a Chinese solution for global biodiversity governance.
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State Grid's Public Welfare Brands for Biodiversity Conservation Debut at UN Biodiversity Conference (COP17)
SHENZHEN, China, Oct. 29, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- A report from Chinadailyhk.com
A photo exhibition on cultural and people-to-people exchanges in Asia opened in South China's Shenzhen on Monday, ahead of the 33rd APEC Economic Leaders' Meeting, which the city is hosting next month.
Co-organized by China Daily and the Asia News Network, the Changing Asia exhibition runs through Friday at the Shenzhen Research Institute of the Chinese University of Hong Kong under the theme "Moments of Connection: Smiles and Hands Across Asia-Pacific".
In her welcoming remarks, Liu Weiling, deputy editor-in-chief of China Daily, said the exhibition is an important cultural exchange event during the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation's "China Year" and aligns with this year's theme, "Building an Asia-Pacific Community to Prosper Together".
"We look forward to using the lens as a medium to capture the warm moments of Asia-Pacific people working hand-in-hand and civilizations integrating with each other, vividly showcasing the moving picture of Asia-Pacific peoples united in solidarity and embracing inclusiveness and shared prosperity," Liu said.
Warner Cheuk Wing-hing, Hong Kong's deputy chief secretary for administration, said at the opening that the photographs document the Asia-Pacific's cultural landscape and development stories without relying on words.
The exhibition highlights the core spirit of this year's APEC and offers visitors a glimpse of the region's growing mutual understanding and connection, as well as achievements in inclusive, shared development, he said.
The edition received more than 2,200 entries from 330 photographers worldwide. After a rigorous selection process, 97 works by 54 photographers from 17 countries and regions were chosen to capture the "smiles" and "hands" of Asia-Pacific people and portray a shared future of inclusive prosperity.
"Photography has the extraordinary ability to bring seemingly distant worlds closer together, creating a silent dialogue between the people portrayed and those viewing the images," Emanuele Giacomini, a documentary photographer based in Italy, told China Daily.
A set of photos Giacomini took at the 2025 Maha Kumbh Mela in Prayagraj, India, was selected for the exhibition. The festival was inscribed on UNESCO's Intangible Cultural Heritage list in 2017.
Giacomini said the exhibition's theme reflects his approach to documentary photography: seeking human connections, spontaneous gestures and emotions that transcend cultural and religious differences.
At the exhibition's launch, Bill Condon, an adviser to think tank Our Hong Kong Foundation, praised the quality and diversity of the photos. "It is really important to show and utilize the soft power of culture and art," he said. "The exhibition's Asian focus makes it so much more relevant and creates an opportunity for dialogue outside the formal meetings."
Nay Min Thu, a Myanmar student at Prince of Songkla University in Thailand, said he was impressed by the stories behind the photographs, particularly Shirkoo Mamagha's images capturing peaceful moments of nomadic communities in Iran. "I have learned that we should take photos that contain stories," said Thu, an amateur photographer.
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Changing Asia expo opens in Shenzhen
