Project: Supporting China’s Climate Targets through Ambitious Green and Low-Carbon Energy Transition

On 7 September 2026, a delegation from the Parliament of North Rhine-Westphalia (NRW) visited Chengdu, Sichuan, to exchange experiences with its Sichuan counterparts on the green and low-carbon energy transition. Building on earlier exchanges in April and June, the visit brought together representatives of government, energy policy, research and industry. Discussions focused on opportunities for further cooperation on hydrogen, energy storage, smart grids, and linking the energy transition with industrial and regional transformation. The project will build on these exchanges by connecting policy dialogue with technical and industrial cooperation, while taking into account the different energy resources, industrial structures and transformation needs of Sichuan and NRW.

In both China and Germany, national climate targets are set at the central level, while implementation takes place locally. The cooperation between the two countries therefore focuses on connecting German states and Chinese provinces

On April 22, 2026, back-to-back with the China (Sichuan) and Germany (North Rhine-Westphalia) Economic and Investment Conference, a high-level delegation from Sichuan Province, one of China’s major energy hubs, met with energy sector experts from North Rhine-Westphalia (NRW) in Düsseldorf. The GIZ Energy team in China supported this important exchange to discuss how national climate ambitions can be turned into practical, regional solutions. This subnational dialogue contributes to the wider Sino-German Climate Change and Green Transition Dialogue Cooperation Mechanism.

As part of the cooperation established between Jiangsu province and the German state of Baden-Württemberg on energy transition, more than 160 participants from across Jiangsu joined a training in Nanjing on the dual-carbon strategy and the development of zero-carbon industry parks. The training was supported by the Jiangsu Development and Reform Commission and organised by provincial institutions together with GIZ, China Electricity Council, and the Wuppertal Institute. Experts discussed tools, platforms, and best practices on carbon-emission accounting, including Jiangsu’s experience in developing zero-emission industry parks and Germany’s experiences with the energy transition at both national and state levels.

On 23 September, IKI Energy project Director Markus Wypior participated in the sub-forum “Green Development Mechanism Promoting the Low-Carbon Transition of the Energy and Power Sector”. The sub-forum, organized by the China Electricity Council (CEC), was part of the China Carbon Market Conference 2025 with over 100 participants. Wypior presented how market mechanisms support Germany’s energy transition and their implications at both national and state levels. He highlighted the energy transition on the national level and the implementation in the German states of Baden-Württemberg (BW) and North Rhine-Westphalia (NRW), as well as their cooperation with Jiangsu and Sichuan under the IKI Energy project.

In June 2025, a delegation of German energy experts from North Rhine-Westphalia, Baden-Württemberg, the Wuppertal Institute for Climate, Environment and Energy, and the German Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy (BMWE) visited the Chinese provinces of Jiangsu and Sichuan. The study tour included a combination of energy transition-related site visits in both provinces, roundtable discussions with Chinese experts, and the project kick-off event which was inaugurated by the National Development and Reform Commission. The exchange allowed experts from the German states and Chinese provinces to gain a deeper understanding of each other’s energy transition developments and challenges, laying a solid foundation for future project implementation.