China has demonstrated a strong, sustained commitment to the Global Environment Facility’s Sustainable Cities Program, participating in GEF-6, GEF-7 UrbanShift, and GEF-8 SCIP to advance integrated, low-carbon, and resilient urban development. As one of the world’s most rapidly urbanizing countries—and home to more than 900 million urban residents—China faces complex challenges related to land-intensive growth, air and water pollution, biodiversity loss, and increasing vulnerability to climate impacts. Through GEF-6, pioneering cities such as Beijing, Tianjin, Ningbo, Nanchang, Guiyang, Shenzhen, and Shijiazhuang helped shape national approaches to transit-oriented development (TOD) and integrated land-use and transport planning, creating models that have influenced both national policy and global practice. 

Under GEF-7 UrbanShift, China expanded its focus to ecological planning, carbon-neutrality strategies, and urban biodiversity through work in Chengdu, Chongqing, and Ningbo, as well as across the Chengdu–Chongqing Economic Circle. In GEF-8 SCIP, cities including Beijing, Tianjin, and Shijiazhuang continue to deepen integrated planning, nature-based solutions, circular economy approaches, and investment-ready urban pipelines through the GPSC Global Knowledge Platform.

China’s multi-cycle engagement has positioned it as a cornerstone of the global sustainable cities agenda. Its policy innovations, large-scale pilots, and technical leadership offer valuable lessons for GEF cities worldwide, demonstrating how integrated planning, ecological restoration, and low-carbon development can be scaled across diverse metropolitan regions.