The Fourth Belt and Road Economic and Environmental Cooperation Forum, together with the Belt and Road Green Brand Global Expansion Initiative Annual Conference, was recently held in Beijing. Dr. Liu Xin, Director of the Energy and Environmental Development Center (EED), participated as a distinguished guest and contributed to the thematic dialogue "Addressing Green Expansion Challenges: Pathways to Collaboration."

Speaking as a representative of environmental consulting service providers, Dr. Liu shared valuable perspectives and hands-on experience regarding the global development of China's environmental protection sector. He further highlighted the essential role that specialized environmental consulting institutions play in facilitating a sustainable and resilient overseas expansion for Chinese enterprises under the Green Brand Initiative.

Guardian: Solving the "Adaptation Challenges" for Companies Expanding Overseas Business

Chinese companies expanding globally have traditionally prioritized "hard power"—products, technology, and engineering expertise. Yet navigating today's volatile international landscape—with its intricate local policies, regulatory variations, and sociocultural complexities—has exposed the limits of going it alone. Self-driven localization often proves costly and inefficient. In this challenging environment, the role of specialized consulting services is becoming not just relevant, but essential.

Consulting firms often play a leading—even decisive—role in shaping rules, standards, and practices. Dr. Liu Xin highlighted that driving the coordinated global expansion of China’s environmental standards and consulting services will provide essential support for the smooth implementation of technologies, products, and projects in overseas markets.  

As a service-oriented supporting sector, the environmental protection industry should align its internationalization strategy closely with the industries it serves, building a focused and clearly defined development model.

Amid the growing momentum of China’s environmental sector going global, Dr. Liu Xin has advised companies to carefully evaluate market demand across different countries, remain vigilant toward geopolitical shifts and compliance challenges, and seek collaborative opportunities by leveraging domestic industrial strengths as well as partnerships with state-owned enterprises.Such a coordinated approach, he noted, can significantly reduce the risks of independent overseas expansion. Backed by years of experience in international project support, EED is now positioned to provide tailored expertise to Chinese companies navigating global markets.

Two Decades of Expertise: Building a Specialized Think Tank for Green Global Expansion

Dr. Liu Xin noted that throughout its over-two-decade development, EED has been deeply involved in providing full-cycle consulting services for international financial institution projects. The organization has consistently offered comprehensive environmental management services to the Chinese government and enterprises in international contexts, accumulating extensive experience in global project management.

Dr. Liu Xin further emphasized that with the deepening implementation of the Belt and Road Initiative, EED has actively seized emerging opportunities and gained recognition from several authoritative platforms. The organization has become a member of the SinoSure Corporation’s external expert pool, been listed of feasibility study service providers for foreign aid projects under the China International Development Cooperation Agency, and serves as a core member of the "Red Sail Global Ecology Think Tank" at the Beijing Economic-Technological Development Area, offering specialized support for green overseas expansion.

Backed by multi-domain expertise, EED enables enterprises to expand overseas with enhanced resilience. The organization has established cooperative relationships with governments, industry associations, state-owned enterprises, central enterprises, and leading private companies in key countries such as Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, Singapore, Laos, Vietnam, Indonesia, and Australia. Its comprehensive service portfolio includes environmental and social impact assessments, local compliance consulting, and full-cycle support for overseas projects, providing end-to-end guidance throughout the international expansion process.

Through these extensive practices, EED has progressively established a comprehensive international service system that caters to diverse stakeholders and operational scenarios, consistently supporting Chinese enterprises in achieving sustainable and resilient global development.

Looking Ahead: Building a Collaborative Ecosystem for Global Expansion

In his closing remarks, Dr. Liu Xin emphasized the need to build an integrated overseas expansion ecosystem that brings together consulting, design, product development, technology, and construction into a coordinated framework. By aligning efforts across sectors, stakeholders can more effectively explore and capture opportunities in international markets.  

He further highlighted the strategic role of professional consulting services as essential “soft power”—a key enabler for the successful, sustainable, and resilient global rollout of China’s green technologies and brands.