Chinese president's special representative attends UN high-level meeting on climate change

Chinese President Xi Jinping's special representative Wang Yi (front), also Chinese state councilor and foreign minister, attends a high-level meeting on climate change and delivers a speech at the United Nations (UN) headquarters in New York, on Sept. 21, 2022. (Xinhua)

UNITED NATIONS, Sept. 21 (Xinhua) -- Chinese President Xi Jinping's special representative Wang Yi, also Chinese state councilor and foreign minister, on Wednesday attended a high-level meeting on climate change at the United Nations (UN) headquarters here and delivered a speech.

Wang noted that Xi has clearly pointed out that the Earth is a big family, that the human race belongs to one community, and that as climate change poses a common challenge to all humanity, mankind should cooperate to tackle the issue.

China believes that global climate governance goals should be advanced in four aspects, Wang said.

The first is to focus on making the UN climate change conference to be held in Sharm El-Sheikh a success, so as to achieve positive and balanced outcomes in such aspects as mitigation, adaptation and finance, Wang said.

The second is to attach importance to implementing actions. It is necessary to follow the principle of common but differentiated responsibilities, adhere to the consensuses that have been reached, and accelerate the realization of the temperature control goal set in the Paris Agreement, Wang said.

China supports the universal early warning system initiative launched by UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, Wang said, adding developed countries should honor their commitments and provide financial, technological and capacity building support for developing countries.

The third is to promote green transformation in a practical manner. Wang called for gradually withdrawing from the mode of traditional energy on the basis of secure and reliable new energy sources.

He also appealed for high-quality and just transformation within the framework of sustainable development.

The fourth is to create a fine political environment. Unilateralism, geopolitical games and green barriers should be abandoned, said Wang.

Developed countries should achieve carbon neutrality well ahead of schedule, make room for developing countries to develop, and restore mutual trust between the North and the South with concrete actions, he said.

Wang also introduced a series of positive measures taken by China to unswervingly follow the path of ecological priority, green and low-carbon development.

China has announced carbon-peaking and carbon-neutrality goals and will complete the world's most dramatic reduction in carbon emission intensity in the shortest time in global history, Wang said.

Noting that China has exceeded the climate action goals of 2020, Wang said China has updated its nationally determined contribution targets, steadily adjusted its energy mix, strictly controlled carbon dioxide emissions, and established a carbon market with the largest coverage of greenhouse gas emissions in the world.

China has also carried out extensive South-South cooperation on climate change, implemented the Global Development Initiative and jointly built a green Silk Road with other parties, Wang said.

Stressing that China will shoulder its due international responsibilities and create a new miracle of green transformation, Wang said that China is ready to work with other countries to take more concrete actions, support the United Nations in playing a central role, protect the Earth and create a better world for future generations.

On the same day, Wang also met respectively with the prime minister of Georgia, French president's diplomatic counselor, the high representative of the European Union for foreign affairs and security policy and foreign ministers of Russia, Norway, Hungary, Poland and Somalia.