At the nexus of energy, infrastructure, and waste management, the decarbonization of the Chinese transport sector, whose volumes in freight and passengers are still continuously increasing, is essential to achieve its 2030 CO2 emission peaking and 2060 carbon neutrality targets as well as the Sustainable Development Goals. Interrelated policy trends of complementing sustainable urbanisation with rural revitalisation, leveraging new technologies and incentivising green modes of transportation all add to a complex mobility landscape. Meanwhile, various challenges persist: The sourcing of clean energy for China’s electrification scheme remains critical to reducing carbon and material footprints. Continuously high levels of congestion and road safety concerns necessitate a (re)construction of integrated traffic systems as well as relevant regulatory measures. Inclusive mobility planning must capitalize accessibility to ensure not only a sustainable, but equally just transition which leaves no one behind.
The GIZ Mobility & Cities Team at the Regional Office East Asia addresses these challenges in the project work with various Chinese and regional partners: The NDC Transport Initiative for Asia (NDC-TIA) supports cross-sectoral and regional policy dialogues and implementation of decarbonisation strategies for the transport sectors in China, India and Vietnam. The Sino-German Cooperation on Electromobility and Automated and Connected Driving (ELMO-AVF) strengthens the level playing field for all stakeholders to improve the harmonization of technical standards and accelerate market developments of electromobility and automated driving. The project Transformation in the Mobility Sector (TiMS) traces best practices of climate-friendly mobility in the Asian region, with a specific focus on the Sino-German cooperation. The regional project Integrated Urban Climate Action for Low Carbon and Resilient Cities (Urban Act) equally considers mobility planning as a key factor of improving urban quality of life.
By means of best practice exchange and policy advice, as well as joint research and the conduction of pilot projects, the GIZ Team follows a holistic approach towards maximizing the positive impact on sustainable development of the Chinese transport sector on a national, regional and local level. Lessons learned are made available to a wider group of stakeholders, benefitting a scalable mobility transition in the Asian region and beyond.