China News Service's flagship program News Lounge made its overseas debut in Antalya, Türkiye, on Tuesday, hosting its first group of international guests on the sidelines of COP31, according to a press release distributed by Media OutReach Newswire. The side event, themed Ecological Civilization and Beautiful China Practice, was held at the China Pavilion and jointly hosted by the Research Center for Xi Jinping Thought on Ecological Civilization and China News Service, with the Policy Research Center for Environment and Economy of the Ministry of Ecology and Environment and China News Network as co-organizers.
The event drew senior figures including Huang Runqiu, China's minister of ecology and environment, who delivered remarks, and Li Gao, head of the Chinese delegation to COP31 and vice minister of ecology and environment, who presided over the speech session. International guests included Simon Stiell, executive secretary of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change; Chris Bowen, COP31 president of negotiations and Australian minister for climate change and energy; and Fatih Birol, executive director of the International Energy Agency.
Their participation matters because it signals that China's ecological and energy transition is being assessed by the very institutions shaping global climate policy. Stiell, in remarks reported by China News, said China's energy transition achievements are "like nowhere else on Earth," noting that China's South-South cooperation has supported clean energy and climate resilience in many developing countries. He also highlighted China's commitment to strive for enhanced outcomes beyond its updated nationally determined contribution, calling it a sign of wisdom and foresight. His comments were captured in a video interview available here.
Birol said the world is entering "the electric age," citing China's progress in electric vehicles, renewable energy and battery storage, and its competitive industrial chains across hydropower, solar, wind, energy storage and clean fuels. He called on all countries to build consensus on electrification targets. His remarks were reported in a separate video interview available here.
Bowen, citing the IEA's Renewables 2025 report, said global renewable energy capacity will expand by 4,600 gigawatts between 2025 and 2030, with China pivotal due to its scale and influence. He said China's investment and cost reductions "support its own deep decarbonization while delivering benefits across the globe," according to a video interview available here.
Beyond government officials, corporate and conservation voices underscored the social dimension. Barbara Vrede, global head of social impact and sustainability strategy at Novartis, described a Sichuan forestry carbon sink project launched in 2010 that has established nearly 4,000 hectares of forest, planted about 21 million trees, benefited more than 4,200 households and generated roughly 40 million yuan in labor income. Her remarks were reported by ECNS in an article available here.
The dialogue's significance extends beyond a single side event. By bringing international guests to a major multilateral platform, News Lounge marks a meaningful breakthrough in its international outreach, translating China's ecological progress into narratives for a global audience. For businesses and policymakers, the message is that China's green transition is not only an environmental story but an economic one, with implications for supply chains, energy costs and investment opportunities worldwide.
