From fish farms to electric vehicles, sustainability as key to development

One is a tropical island in the South China Sea. The other is a pivotal hub on the Arabian Gulf. Their geographic endowments and development paths could hardly be more different. Yet in the race toward low-carbon development, Hainan Province and the UAE are finding increasing resonance across renewable energy, smart mobility and sustainable development.

Hainan enjoys excellent air quality on 98.8 per cent of days each year. This strong ecological foundation is both a core competitive advantage and a launching pad for ambitious green development goals.

Renewable energy in Hainan extends far beyond electricity generation. The province has emerged as one of China's leaders in energy transition, with a clean energy mix encompassing offshore wind, solar and biomass. A distinctive feature of Hainan's approach is its emphasis on multi-purpose land use. The fishery-solar hybrid model is a prime example: solar panels installed above fish ponds generate electricity while aquaculture continues below, producing both farmed seafood and green power without requiring additional land. This integration of new energy with the real economy closely parallels the solar-agriculture models being explored across the Middle East, where both regions seek to unlock energy and industrial value within constrained spaces.

In low-carbon transport, Hainan stands as China's undisputed pioneer. It was the first province to announce a ban on sales of fossil-fuel vehicles by 2030, and its new-energy vehicle market penetration rate has ranked first nationally for several consecutive years.

The supporting infrastructure has kept pace. Public charging stations across the province are fully integrated into a unified digital platform, with charging networks covering urban and rural areas across the island. Hainan is also deploying autonomous driving and smart mobility solutions, making low-carbon travel more intelligent and efficient.

This wave of green mobility coincides with Dubai's own transport transformation. Chinese-made new-energy vehicles have become an increasingly common sight on Dubai's streets, with electric and low-emission technologies rapidly integrating into the emirate's transport landscape. Hainan, as China's benchmark region for full-scale new-energy vehicle adoption, has accumulated mature experience in charging infrastructure development, operational service systems and smart traffic management, expertise that complements Dubai's green urban strategy. The scope for future technical exchanges, model collaborations and industrial partnerships is substantial.

Hainan's green development has long since expanded beyond energy and transport into institutional innovation and ecological protection.

The province has established the Hainan International Blue Carbon Research Center and the Hainan International Carbon Emissions Trading Center, completing China's first blue carbon carbon-credit transaction and leading the country in blue carbon standard-setting and carbon market development.

Within the Hainan Tropical Rainforest National Park, the population of the critically endangered Hainan gibbon has grown from 30 individuals in 2019 to 44 today.

More than 80 per cent of new construction in Hainan now uses prefabricated building methods, while strict industrial access controls limit energy-intensive projects, maintaining green standards at the source.

From innovative renewable energy applications to province-wide low-carbon mobility and pioneering institutional mechanisms, Hainan's green development pathway combines island-specific characteristics with a wealth of replicable experience.

For Hainan Province and the UAE, green development is no longer a series of separate endeavours. From Chinese-made new-energy vehicles on Dubai's streets to shared approaches in renewable energy technology, carbon trading and ecological protection, growing consensus is translating into tangible cooperation. Against the global backdrop of carbon neutrality, this green collaboration across mountains and seas is emerging as one of the most promising new frontiers in China-UAE cooperation.

This episode is part of "Caravans, Dhows and Coconuts: The Silk Roads across Land and Sea," a series exploring the evolving ties between Hainan Province and the UAE through culture, education, agriculture, technology and trade.