China's commitment to overcoming climate change important to global cooperation, experts say

At the invitation of U.S. President Joe Biden, Chinese President Xi Jinping attends the Leaders Summit on Climate via video link and delivers an important speech titled "For Man and Nature: Building a Community of Life Together" in Beijing, capital of China, April 22, 2021. (Xinhua/Huang Jingwen)

BEIJING, April 22 (Xinhua) -- It is inspiring that Chinese President Xi Jinping reaffirmed China's commitment to overcoming climate change while upholding multilateralism in this global fight, foreign experts have said after Xi made a speech on Thursday at the Leaders Summit on Climate via video link from Beijing.

In his speech, Xi made a six-point proposal on building a community of life for man and nature, saying that we must be committed to harmony between man and nature, green development, systemic governance, a people-centered approach, multilateralism, and the principle of common but differentiated responsibilities.

Xi's speech is very important and plays a strong leading role in the global fight against climate change, said Ronnie Lins, director of the China-Brazil Center for Research and Business.

To cope with the issues regarding climate change, the international community should stick to multilateralism and the principle of common but differentiated responsibility, he noted.

He expressed his hope that the international community should take actions as soon as possible, jointly participate in the global environmental governance, and push ahead with the building of a global environmental governance system featuring fairness and equity, cooperation and win-win.

Xi's speech demonstrates that China is always an active participator in the global cause of battling climate change, said Anri Sharapov, an associate professor at the Tashkent State University of Oriental Studies.

China, as a responsible major country, has shown to the world its resolution in protecting the environment and dealing with climate change, he noted, adding that it would undoubtedly strengthen the international community's confidence in jointly handling climate change.

Calling the climate change issue "a very complicated and huge issue" that requires the collaboration of all countries, Jehad Auwda, a professor of international relations at Egypt's Helwan University, said that China has been working on building an active and transparent mechanism with all parties to enhance international communication and mutual trust to tackle the climate change crisis.

This is very important for achieving international cooperation and the final goals, he said.

Yoav Yair, dean of the School of Sustainability at Israel's Interdisciplinary Center Herzliya, said that Xi, in his speech, reiterated China's climate commitment to the international community.

He said what China has already done to defeat climate change is impressive, adding that China is "making an enormous effort for renewable energies" and the environmental legislation in China has "proved very effective and showed significant improvement in air quality in major cities."

"They are looking at all the options available in order to curb down carbon emissions, and they're making good progress," Yair said.