Zhao is President of the BRI International Green Development Coalition. He previously served as China’s Vice Minister of Ecology and Environment and CCICED’s Secretary General between 2016-2025.

Prior to that, he was Chief Engineer at China’s Ministry of Ecology and Environment. He has previously served as Director General of China’s Department of Science, Technology, and Standards and as Director General of the Department of Pollution Prevention and Control. Zhao started his career at China’s National Environmental Protection Agency and has also worked at the State Environmental Protection Administration. He has a PhD degree in Science.