Advancing People‑Centered Wellbeing: High‑Level Dialogue Forges Green Connectivity Ties and Explores New Pathways for Cooperation

Against the backdrop of the ongoing global low‑carbon transition, challenges persist including energy security risks, regional development imbalances and financing gaps for green infrastructure. Research such as the World Energy Outlook 2025 and State of Energy Policy 2026 indicates that grid investment globally has lagged behind power‑generation investment, hindering renewable energy integration and cross‑border grid interconnection. At the industrial level, divergent national GHG‑accounting rules and rising supply‑chain risks have further raised barriers for cross‑border green projects. Addressing bottlenecks in connectivity and coordination for clean‑energy infrastructure represents a shared objective for sustainable development and collaboration within the global energy ecosystem. On 3  September 2026, centering on the Singapore Summit theme“Connect for Better World”,, the High‑Level Dialogue titled Advancing Green Infrastructure and Regional Connectivity for Sustainable Development was convened. As a flagship session of theSecond Global Business Summit on Belt and Road Infrastructure Investment to Accelerate the SDGs , the dialogue was moderated by Ng Boon Heong, Executive Director & Chief Executive Officer of Temasek Foundation. It brought together representatives from multilateral development banks, as well as Chinese and Singaporean energy and digital‑technology enterprises, exchanging professional insights and practical experience across financing, industry and technology. At the session on green infrastructure connectivity, the panelists offered key insights on standard co-development, digital platforms, offshore infrastructure , sustainable cities, as well as green financing in advancing regional connectivity and international cooperation. Their main observations include:

● Interoperability of Carbon Footprint Systems with Global Standards Yang Kun, Executive President of China Electricity Council (CEC), stated that CEC follows the international calls, requirements from the Chinese government and corporate demands under the framework of the UNFCCC and the Paris Agreement, grounded in China’s “Dual Carbon” goals and carbon quantity & intensity control strategy. CEC has carried out systematic research on electricity carbon footprints and released multi-category electricity carbon footprint results for 2023 and 2024, establishing the complete methodology, standard system and database. Electricity, as a fundamental product, can provide essential support for the clean transition, information sharing and coordinated cooperation across all sectors. He pointed out that carbon accounting relies on methodologies and foundational data. Given divergent rules and regulations among countries, sufficient exchanges are needed to build consensus. Moving forward, CEC will continue to improve its carbon database and share analytical methodologies. He looks forward to strengthened international dialogue and methodology sharing to facilitate global cooperation on green infrastructure.

● Digital platforms serve as “invisible infrastructure” Yuan Zhenggang, Chairperson of Glodon Company Limited, stated that to achieve regional connectivity of green infrastructure, a digital foundation serves as an indispensable pillar alongside physical assets. Traditional construction practices tend to create information silos and substantial resource waste. Moreover, disparities persist across countries in infrastructure standards and carbon accounting rules, calling for enhanced international exchanges to build consensus. Drawing on Glodon’s experience, its integrated digital platform supports projects ranging from buildings, highways, bridges, power infrastructure to data centers, covering the full lifecycle spanning design, bidding, construction and operation & maintenance. Adopting BIM 3D modelling, the platform conducts cost, carbon emission and energy consumption assessments at every stage. It also leverages lean construction principles to cut resource losses and enables proactive, forward-looking optimization at the early project phase based on subsequent operation and maintenance strategies, substantially boosting construction efficiency. Glodon is advancing deep integration of AI with building, power and energy scenarios by combining domain expertise, engineering data and rule-based computing. With implementation experience and accumulated industry knowledge from China, Singapore, Malaysia and Indonesia, Glodon helps enable collaboration on cross-border green infrastructure projects. Digital capabilities empower the infrastructure sector toward net-zero and sustainable development and facilitate global cooperation on green infrastructure.

● Deep Integration of Offshore Wind Development and Advanced Digital Technologies Zhang Xinyu, Chief Technology Officer of Mingyang Smart Energy Group, shared insights drawn from overseas wind project experience. Offshore wind operations constantly face extreme working conditions such as typhoons and salt spray, posing major challenges for equipment maintenance and risk management.Building on project experience, Mingyang has developed a three-tier digital engine comprising perception, connectivity and industry-specific large models. Massive front-end sensors collect operational and environmental data; an intelligent connectivity platform links equipment systems to break down data silos. Combined with wind-power dedicated large models, this system enables adaptive regulation and intelligent operation and maintenance of offshore assets. He stated that the era of smart oceans has arrived. The development of offshore green energy calls for policy coordination between industry and host countries, alongside data security governance. Joint efforts will advance the connectivity of green energy across the Belt and Road regions.

● Green Buildings, Nature-based Solutions and Sustainable Urban Ecosystems Esther An, Chief Sustainability Officer, City Developments Limited (CDL), Singapore, pointed out that as global urbanization proceeds, by 2050, 70% of the world’s population is estimated to reside in cities, while the built environment accounts for 37% of global greenhouse gas emissions, imposing immense decarbonization pressure on the construction sector. Drawing on CDL’s micro-forest pilot project, she highlighted the tangible benefits of nature-based solutions in mitigating urban heat-island effects. Particularly, she stated that the whole-industry’s path to net zero must go beyond carbon emissions alone. We need to prioritize material circularity and the preservation of natural capital, and adopt standardized measurement using global frameworks such as TNFD (Taskforce on Nature-related Financial Disclosures). Leading real estate developers can serve as cross-border demonstration catalysts. With green finance to roll out low-carbon solutions, stakeholders can embed ecological thinking into urban development and deliver meaningful improvements to people’s well-being.

● Multilateral Financial Institutions’Role in Green Financing and Regional Connectivity Murtaza Syed, Head of Ecosystem, Economics Department, Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) stated that cross-border infrastructure projects feature long tenors and complex risks. Multilateral development banks are not merely capital providers, but also partners for risk mitigation. AIIB focuses on three core priorities: advancing green infrastructure integrated with nature-based solutions, supporting the ASEAN power grid to drive regional connectivity, and mobilizing private capital to boost project sustainability. Given the 20- to 30-year long-term risks of infrastructure development, AIIB deploys blended finance, first-loss absorption and local currency financing instruments to mitigate risks. It collaborates with diverse financial stakeholders to crowd in private capital and strengthen upstream project preparation. Through pragmatic multilateral financial cooperation, AIIB delivers lasting momentum for regional green connectivity and improvements to people’s livelihoods.

This dialogue upholds the principle of extensive consultation, joint contribution and shared benefits. Centered on people’s well-being, it addresses the challenges faced by Belt and Road countries, including limited and costly electricity access, the dilemma that cross-border infrastructure can be built yet remain unaffordable to operate, as well as the fragmentation of the global energy transition and uneven distribution of infrastructure investment. As the moderator Mr. Ng Boon Heong concluded the dialogue, developing green infrastructure and strengthening regional connectivity is no longer a one-dimensional construction project. Instead, it represents a systematic undertaking requiring transnational institutional coordination, cutting-edge digital empowerment, green financial support and multilateral network collaboration. As such, concrete action is required to advance regional “hard connectivity”（硬联通） via physical infrastructure, “soft connectivity”（软联通） through harmonized rules, mechanisms and standards, and “people‑to‑people connectivity” （心相通）centered on livelihoods and wellbeing. Collaborative co‑creation among stakeholders is essential across urban development, transport, industry and social welfare.