Paris Agreement's 10th anniversary: Int'l community looks forward to China's active role in global climate governance

ChangeNow 2025 on green development transformation and sustainable innovation was held at the Grand Palais in Paris from April 24 to 26, 2025.

The event aimed to commemorate the 10th anniversary of the Paris Agreement. Laurent Fabius, president of COP21, Diana Ürge-Vorsatz, vice chair of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), Agnès Pannier-Runacher, French minister for Energy Transition, Osama Faqeeha, Saudi Arabia's deputy minister of Environment and advisor to the COP16 Presidency, and Ana Toni, national secretary for Climate Change at the Ministry of the Environment and Climate Change and CEO of COP30, attended the opening ceremony and delivered speeches.

ChangeNow 2025 is held at the Grand Palais in Paris. (Photo/He Qian)

Fabius noted, "China played a significant role in concluding the Paris Agreement in 2015. Without its actions and those of other countries, we would not have been able to reach this agreement. Since then, I have continued to maintain close relations with my Chinese friends and their leaders. I am confident that China will do its utmost with Europe, particularly France, as well as with Brazil and other countries, to reach a new agreement at COP30."

Ürge-Vorsatz when speaking with People's Daily Online said, "The IPCC was very fortunate to be hosted by the government of China in Hangzhou for its latest panel session, where we (made) crucial decisions. I am also very privileged to have (had) the chance of being in China several times, speaking on carbon peaking, climate neutrality, and industrial emissions. As a result, I witnessed that China is very much on the forefront of climate action in many areas. We can thank China for its photovoltaic power, which has reduced costs by over 90 percent in the last decade."

French minister for Energy Transition and Saudi deputy minister of Environment deliver speeches at the opening ceremony (Photo/He Qian)

She further explained, "China is also very progressive in fast rail travel, electric cars, batteries, and using artificial intelligence for sustainability. There are many areas where China is driving technological change all over the world, of course in cooperation with other regions. I do hope China will continue this level of innovation so that we can all together solve climate change and reduce emissions to net zero levels by mid-century." When speaking on China's goals in carbon emissions and carbon neutrality, she added, "This is so ambitious, it's going to set a very important example for the rest of the world. As a result, the work of the IPCC is going to be very relevant for China, and also, Chinese scientists and Chinese science continue to be very important for our assessment reports."

Faqeeha said: "Saudi Arabia and China are strategic partners. China has a huge program to combat desertification. We can also benefit from China's experience. Also, in sea water distillation, there are Chinese technologies in terms of water treatment and low cost, and water reuse (that Saudi Arabia can benefit from). We are also now doing cloud seeding. China also has large cloud seeding programs that we could collaborate together (on)."

He added, "In 'Saudi Vision 2030', we have ambitious plans to develop the industrial sector, energy sector, mining sector, and urban development. China has major companies, innovation and solutions for these (areas). We already now have a joint committee, a high-level committee, between Saudi Arabia and China that identifies collaboration opportunities in various sectors."

During the event's opening ceremony, Pannier-Runacher said, "China has demonstrated its commitment to climate change in recent years, and this deserves the world's attention."

"Jean-Noël Barrot, the French minister of Foreign Affairs, visited China at the end of March. On that occasion, a joint statement on climate change between France and China was signed on the 10th anniversary of the Paris Agreement. The European Union, like China, has real ambition in terms of climate," Pannier-Runacher said in an interview with People's Daily Online.

"China is now a leader in all industries of the ecological and energy transition. We attach great importance to the continuation of a demanding dialogue, because it stimulates the collective momentum in favor of the climate," she concluded.

ChangeNow 2025 is held at the Grand Palais in Paris. (Photo/He Qian)

ChangeNow 2025 is a grand gathering of global startups in sustainable innovation technology, research representatives, government decision-makers, and investors, aimed at enhancing connectivity and cooperation among participants in global green development transformation.

This year's event featured over 1,000 exhibitors from more than 140 countries, including Chinese companies specializing in eco-friendly recycled materials, as well as over 500 guest speakers from diverse professional fields worldwide. They shared the latest sustainable technologies, ideas, and collaboration models with more than 40,000 attendees. Countries including South Africa and the Netherlands set up national pavilions at the event, which also attracted over 1,200 global investors to explore economic opportunities in green transformation through the lens of sustainable business models.