An aerial view of photovoltaic panels erected over fish ponds in Huzhou, East China's Zhejiang province. [Photo/hz66.com]

Huzhou in East China's Zhejiang province was invited to share its experiences in green finance reform and innovation at a Sino-UK meeting on green finance held in London on May 23.

Green finance refers to structured financial activity that has been created to ensure a better environmental outcome.

The city is the only city in the nation that has been invited to participate in the meeting, which was sponsored by the City of London and the Green Finance Committee of China Society for Finance and Banking.

Representatives from the two countries' government departments and institutions, including the City of London, the British Embassy in China, Industrial and Commercial Bank of China, Bank of China, Shanghai Stock Exchange, the Beijing Institute of Green Finance and Sustainable Development and the Central University of Finance and Economics, attended the event.

The participants spoke highly of the achievements Huzhou has made in green finance reform, expressing hope in further strengthening exchanges and cooperation with the city in the field.

Official statistics show green loans in Huzhou have registered an average annual growth rate of 45.8 percent since 2017, when the city was designated a national pilot zone for green finance.

The Bank of Huzhou has been named the "Best Green Regional Bank of the Year" by Asiamoney magazine for two consecutive years.