Observer Report
Beijing
President Xi Jinping delivered a video speech at the Climate Ambition Summit in commemoration of the 5th anniversary of the Paris Agreement and made three proposals for the future of global climate governance. He also announced four new measures to scale up China’s nationally determined contributions.
According to Wang Wenbin, spokesperson of the Chinese Foreign Ministry amid the raging COVID-19 pandemic, rising protectionism and unilateralism and severe challenges in climate change, President Xi elaborated on China’s vision on global climate governance in a new historical context with a view to the whole mankind and gave in-depth responses to such questions as how to maintain economic development while addressing climate change and achieving green recovery.
He made three proposals, namely, to close ranks and make new advances in climate governance that features cooperation and win-win, to raise ambition and foster a new architecture of climate governance where every party does its part, and to boost confidence and pursue a new approach to climate governance that highlights green recovery.
President Xi’s speech testifies to China’s consistent position of seeking solidarity and promoting cooperation, firmly supporting multilateralism and the comprehensive and effective implementation of the Paris Agreement, demonstrates China’s responsibility as a major country and will guide the sustained improvement of global climate governance.
President Xi announced four new measures to scale up China’s nationally determined contributions: China will lower its carbon dioxide emissions per unit of GDP by over 65 percent from the 2005 level, increase the share of non-fossil fuels in primary energy consumption to around 25 percent, increase the forest stock volume by 6 billion cubic meters from the 2005 level, and bring its total installed capacity of wind and solar power to over 1.2 billion kilowatts.
This is another major policy announcement after President Xi pledged that China will peak carbon dioxide emissions before 2030 and achieve carbon neutrality before 2060 at the General Debate of the 75th session of the UN General Assembly, charting the course for the peaking of CO2 emissions and demonstrating China’s firm resolution in addressing climate change and responsibility in honoring its commitments.
China is a solid contributor to the improvement of global climate governance. We are pleased to see that under the advocacy of China, the EU, the UN and other parties, the international community has formed a positive synergy in jointly addressing climate change and accelerating global climate governance.
At the Climate Ambition Summit, over 20 countries put forward their goals for carbon neutrality and more than 40 countries made new commitments to scaling up nationally determined contributions. China stands ready to work with other countries to advance the sustained and steady implementation of the Paris Agreement and set the global response to climate change on a new journe.
