As the Sino-German Cooperation on Climate Change – Climate Partnership project approaches its conclusion in April 2026, a closing workshop for its activities on climate and sustainable finance was held on 21 January 2026 in Beijing.
The event brought together the project’s political partners, the Chinese Ministry of Ecology and Environment (MEE) and the German Federal Ministry for the Environment, Climate Action, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety (BMUKN) as well as other implementing and technical partners from Germany and China to reflect on the project’s progress and impacts, to exchange practical experiences, and to share valuable feedback for the next phase of the Sino-German climate cooperation, with an anticipated start in 2026.
At the workshop’s opening, Ms. HOU Fang, Director of the Division of General Affairs, Department of Climate Cooperation at MEE and Mr. René Kieselhorst, Acting Head of Division for Strategic Bilateral and Plurilateral Climate Cooperation, Department for International Climate Protection at BMUKN, recalled the long-standing bilateral Climate Partnership and emphasized the strategic role of sustainable finance in facilitating the green transition toward climate neutrality, highlighted urgent need to mobilize capital for green investments. Mr. Janto Hess, Project Director at GIZ, provided an overview of the outputs and milestones achieved in the current project phase on climate and sustainable finance.
Achievements of the Climate Partnership Phase IV
Over the past three years, the project collaborated closely with leading German and Chinese research institutions and experts to align national practices with EU and international standards, develop green finance instruments, and promote sustainable finance initiatives.
Through close collaboration, all implementing partners achieved concrete outcomes, encompassing:
(i) in-depth research on sustainable and transition finance;
(ii) the development of tools and methodologies for carbon accounting, ESG evaluation, and climate risk stress testing;
(iii) comprehensive capacity building activities, including tailored thematic workshops, international study tours to Germany and the EU, and bilateral technical exchanges.
Outlook for future collaboration
Participants explored opportunities to deepen future collaboration for the next project, envisioned from May 2026 to April 2030. Constructive suggestions emerged on strengthening the Sino-German technical and policy dialogue, advancing joint research, and further developing cutting-edge climate finance instruments and methodologies to better support SMEs in their green transition, ultimately contributing to the goals of the Paris Agreement.
