On July 14, 2023, Ms. Irene Pivetti, former Speaker of the ltalian Chamber of Deputies, Honorary President of the World Green Design Organization, Chairman of the Board of Fondazione ltalia Cina, and President of ltaly-China Friendship Association, was invited to attend the "Carbon Neutrality 2060 and Green Finance Forum (Summer 2023)" hosted by Chongyang Institute for Financial Studies at Renmin University of China (RDCY) and organized by Center for Eco-financial Studies at Renmin University of China, delivering a keynote speech on "The Belt and Road Initiative, Green Development, and China-Europe Cooperation," and having an in-depth exchange of views with Chinese experts and scholars on the Belt and Road Initiative(BRI), policies for green development, China-Europe cooperation, and China-Italy cooperation. Wide media have covered this forum, including China News, Haiwainet.cn, Phoenix TV, Shenzhen TV, Sansha Satellite TV etc,.

Wang Wen

This lecture was moderated by Prof. Wang Wen, Executive Dean of RDCY and Secretary-General of the Green Finance Committee of the China Society for Finance and Banking. He mentioned at the opening that China has been committed to the green development of BRI construction, and is also providing Chinese wisdom for promoting global green development. On the occasion of the 10th anniversary of BRI, it is of great practical significance to invite Ms. Pivetti to talk about China-EU green cooperation and the joint construction of BRI.

In her speech, Pivetti said that international cooperation for green development requires not only mutual understanding and goodwill, but also a pragmatic attitude and an open mind. Treating future issues as present matters will influence legislation and decision makers worldwide. She believes that policymakers in various countries need to make preparations before and during the decision-making process in terms of policy design and international cooperation, rather than make up for it after the decision-making. This is the only correct way to deal with the impact of the decision-making.

Irene Pivetti

Pivetti pointed out that China chose the path of green development at least 20 years ago, and has made many achievements until now. At present, China-EU green cooperation needs to jump out of the complex political context. At the same time, the two sides need to think deeply about how China-EU cooperation can be more pragmatic and more practical in addition to theory. She believes that there should be a list of priorities for the cooperation between the EU and China in the field of green economy, or even a list of specific key projects, to determine specific regulatory actions, and so as to make a final decision that is as legitimate as possible.

Pivetti shared Italy's experience in implementing carbon offset projects in Tunisia. By planting Arundo Donax in Italy, on the one hand, it has achieved the purpose of carbon capture, cleaning the soil and extracting its cellulose to produce bioethanol. On the other hand, it has promoted local employment and invigorated the carbon dioxide emissions trading market. She believes that green finance, green development and the Belt and Road Initiative are of great significance and are closely related to the future development of mankind.

Regarding the future focus of China-EU cooperation, Pivetti believes that the establishment of standards recognized by both parties is one of the key points, and special attention should be paid to cooperation in the field of green finance. Green finance will become an important financial tool to improve the underdeveloped areas of both parties. She emphasized that Europe is also facing difficulties in the field of green development. The green economy is the future of the development of all mankind. Therefore, it is crucial for China and Europe to join forces to tackle these challenges.

Later, Ms. Lan Hong, Deputy Director of Center for Eco-financial Studies, and Professor of Environment School at Renmin University of China, and Mr. Wang Yiwei, Professor of School of International Stuides at Renmin University of China and Senior Fellow of RDCY, commented in the discussion session.

Lan Hong

Lan Hong believes that Italy is relatively advanced in sustainable finance, carbon emissions reduction, and carbon neutrality, and the European Union (EU) is leading in the development of carbon trading markets. Currently, China is also making efforts to innovate under the "dual carbon" target, including pilot programs such as carbon inclusion and carbon trading markets. China and Italy face similar challenges in green development, and China is actively promoting the building of a community with a shared future for mankind. Both sides have broad prospects for cooperation in areas such as green finance and green development, and there is a potential for more in-depth exchanges regarding specific experiences.

Wang Yiwei

Wang Yiwei believes that China's Belt and Road Initiative has played an important role in promoting green development among countries along the route. China has four roles exhibited in the BRI that can form complementary cooperation with Europe, namely adaption, transformation, parallel development and coordinated development. China and Europe are natural partners in the field of digitalization and greenization. Italy is the first developed country among the G7 countries to sign the BRI with China. It is believed that the green cooperation between the two parties under the initiative will have a brighter prospect.

Wang Wen appreciated Pivetti's insights on China-Europe green cooperation and the BRI, as well as her optimistic outlook on the future prospects. He believes that China's exploration of the carbon trading market has achieved preliminary results, and the development of green economy in related fields such as carbon emissions is in the ascendant. He emphasized that China is also one of the few countries that truly implements the Paris Agreement. Compared with some Western countries such as the United States, China is at the forefront in certain areas of green development, especially in new energy fields such as wind energy, photovoltaics, hydropower, and hydrogen energy utilization.

In the Q&A session, Pivetti answered questions from the audience about the prospects of China-Italy cooperation within the Belt and Road Initiative, how to better address climate change, and promote global green transformation, etc. The forum ended successfully in a warm atmosphere.

The Forum

Irene Pivetti is the Former Speaker of the Italian Chamber of Deputies, Honorary President of the World Green Design Organization, Chairman of the Board of Fondazione Italia China, and President of the Italy-China Friendship Association. She graduated from the University of Milan, majoring in contemporary literature and bibliography. In 1992, She was elected as a member of the Italian Chamber of Deputies, the youngest female member in Italian history. From 1994 to 1996, she served as the Speaker of the Italian Chamber of Deputies, the first female Speaker in Europe. From 2001 to 2008, she served as a member of the European Parliament, the youngest female member in European history. From 2008 to now, she works as board member or supervisor in several enterprises and organizations. Pivetti has been advancing actively the implementation of the global sustainable development strategy and the ecology and environment protection projects, and built a dialogue platform and an effective exchange mechanism for Italy and China in various industries of green design.