Green technology cooperation benefits BRI partners

CHONGQING, Nov. 8 (Xinhua) -- At a sewage treatment plant in southwest China's Chongqing Municipality, diverse aquatic plants grow, making it look like a garden, while almost no unpleasant smell lingers there.

"We have benefited from the food chain reactor (FCR) sewage treatment technology from Hungary," said Qi Yujiang, technical director at the Caiyun lake sewage treatment plant. "The FCR uses the metabolism of microorganisms and aquatic plants in the ecosystem to degrade pollutants in sewage."

The FCR technology largely curtails the pollutant emissions of sewage plants, which lessens the negative effect on the environment in the lower reaches of the Yangtze River.

"The plant was put into use in May this year, and it is a representative program of China-Hungary science and technology cooperation," said Mei Huiling, director of the Chinese Hungarian Technology Transfer Center (Chongqing), adding that China and Hungary have unfolded a raft of science and technology cooperation programs in key fields such as low-carbon development, novel material and medicine.

"Green," "low-carbon" and "sustainable" were among the keywords at the first Belt and Road Conference on Science and Technology Exchange that was held from Monday to Tuesday in Chongqing, which echoed the resolve to make green a defining feature of cooperation under the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI).

According to the Report on Development of Innovative Silk Road released at the conference, China has launched the Initiative for Belt and Road Partnership on Green Development in cooperation with more than 30 countries and formed the Belt and Road Initiative International Green Development Coalition with 40-plus countries.

Many BRI participating countries also benefit from China's technology.

In Uzbekistan, a PVC comprehensive production device is operating to produce chemical materials.

"Our independently developed technology to make acetylene from natural gas is more clean and low-carbon," said Xie Quanbing, a technician with Sinopec Chongqing SVW Chemical Co., Ltd.

Uzbekistan has rich natural gas resources but lacked leading technologies to utilize it. Since the project was put into operation, it has reduced Uzbekistan's dependence on imports of PVC and caustic soda, and created new jobs, which is of great significance to the economic development of Uzbekistan.

"Thanks to advanced technology from China, we have produced many high-quality chemical products. It not only brings economic gains, but also promotes the green development of our industry," said Kamoliddin Asadov, deputy general manager of the PVC production complex of Navoi Nitrogen Fertilizer Company.