BEIJING -- Positive progress has been made in promoting the green development of the Belt and Road Initiative, Vice-Minister of Ecology and Environment Zhai Qing said Friday.

An international coalition for the Belt and Road green development has been established, which currently has more than 150 partners from over 40 countries, Zhai told a press conference held on the sidelines of the 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China.

The coalition has worked to strengthen policy dialogues and joint research, and support the United Nations 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, he said.

Efforts have been made to improve the innovation and exchanges of green technologies and cultivate talent in environmental management.

"We have trained about 3,000 environmental management personnel, experts and scholars from more than 120 countries, building consensus and synergy for green development," Zhai said.

Proposed by China in 2013, the Belt and Road Initiative envisions trade and infrastructure networks connecting Asia with Europe and Africa along the ancient Silk Road routes.