UNITED NATIONS, Sept. 20 -- United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres Friday hailed China's efforts in implementing the Paris Agreement commitments ahead of time.

"It's good to note that because the majority (of the countries) are not on time," he said while addressing reporters at a working luncheon on climate.

"They are ready to announce very meaningful developments in renewables and in other aspects," he told reporters from world-renowned media outlets, including Xinhua.

"At the same time, they are already having a slowdown in increasing their coal-based electricity production," said the secretary-general.

The secretary-general vowed that he will push as much as he can for "a very strong and committed climate action."

However, he also said some top-rated companies are taking climate risks into account in the formulation of policies.

"If you look at the European elections one year ago, it would be essentially on migration. The last European parliament elections were much more centered on climate," he noted while explaining the climate is becoming more of an electoral issue than in the past.

He expressed hope that "a meaningful number of countries will announce important decisions in relation to emissions and to other aspects" at the forthcoming Climate Action Summit to be held on Monday.

"The next few years are absolutely crucial to reverse the present trend. That is still a negative trend. Emissions are still growing. The situation is getting worse clearly on the ground," said the secretary-general.

Heads of state and government, high-level representatives from member states and representatives from the private sector will attend the Climate Action Summit to tackle "the defining issue of our time."

The Climate Action Summit will be preceded by a Youth Climate Summit on Saturday, where participants from across the globe will showcase their solutions on how to combat the crisis.