Interview: China plays pivotal role in global climate action, says former UN official

BAKU, Nov. 15 (Xinhua) -- China is now an indispensable nation for global climate efforts, former UN Under-Secretary-General Erik Solheim told Xinhua in a recent interview.

The 29th session of the Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP29) commenced Monday in Baku, Azerbaijan, aiming to bolster climate finance, carbon trading, and the global transition from fossil fuels. The conference will run until Nov. 22.

Solheim, also the former UN Environment Executive Director, shared his views on China's current role in fighting climate change amid ongoing global changes.

"China is now an indispensable nation for global climate efforts," Solheim said, adding that it is essentially "impossible for the world to go green without China."

China plays an important role in the global green energy transition, accounting for 60 percent or more of global production in key green sectors, including solar, wind, and hydropower, as well as electric cars and batteries, he said.

He also stressed the need for necessary investments to tackle climate challenges, saying multilateral platforms, like BRICS, are increasingly significant for addressing climate change.

"BRICS has become very important since that's an avenue for the Global South to come together and lead the world," he said, adding that the initiative will move to countries of the Global South.

"The 'Belt and Road Initiative' has recently turned into a major vehicle for green investment in the world, in solar, wind, hydropower and green corridors," said the former UN official.

To illustrate the significant impact of Belt and Road projects, he cited the Chinese-built Padma Bridge project in Bangladesh.

Completed by China Railway Major Bridge Engineering Group Co., Ltd. and opened to the public in June 2022, the bridge crosses the Padma River, connecting southern Bangladesh to Dhaka. Solheim expects this infrastructure project to boost Bangladesh's economy by 1 percent.