Q: The G20 Environment and Climate Ministers’ Meeting was recently concluded in Chennai, India. Some Western media citing certain individuals said that China back-tracked on its position, obstructed the meeting to reach consensus on such key issues as cutting emissions, stopping to use fossil fuels and boosting renewable energy use. What’s your comment?

A: Relevant reports totally run counter to facts. On July 28, the G20 Environment and Climate Ministers’ Meeting reached the Outcome Document and Chair’s Summary and achieved positive and balanced outcomes. However, some countries introduced geopolitical issues as an obstruction and the meeting failed to adopt a communiqué. China finds it regrettable.

China believes that the G20, as a premier forum for international economic cooperation, shoulders important responsibilities in advancing global sustainable development, coordinating economic development and environmental protection and addressing climate change. The G20 should be committed to pooling political consensus of countries, fully respecting their different development stages and realities, communicating and sharing best practices and experience, encouraging pragmatic actions and promoting the international community to work in unity and actively respond to climate change so as to jointly boost the global confidence and capabilities in realizing green, low-carbon and sustainable development. The G20 should, on the basis of fully respecting and following the objective, principles and frameworks set out in the UNFCCC and the Paris Agreement, provide useful supplement to the UN’s main channel negotiation on climate change, make sure no new South-North gap will be created in responding to climate change, and realize a just, green and low-carbon transition worldwide. China urges developed countries to take seriously their capabilities, responsibility and obligations in climate response, further increase emissions reduction, deliver on their commitment as soon as possible, provide climate funding and technology transfer to developing countries, and stop such acts that affect and undermine global climate response as adopting unilateral measures, decoupling, severing industrial chains and erecting trade barriers.

China is a doer in advancing global climate governance. China has published the “1+N” policy framework for implementing carbon peaking and carbon neutrality goals, put in place the biggest clean power generation system in the world, contributed a quarter of the world’s newly added green areas since 2000, and propelled an economy growing at an average annual rate of 6.2 percent with an average three-percent year-on-year energy consumption growth. We are one of the fastest countries in terms of lowering energy intensity and our installed hydro, wind, and solar capacities all top the world. 

In the meanwhile, China has provided support and help to other developing countries to the best of our capability. We have signed 43 South-South cooperation documents on climate response with 38 developing countries, trained some 2,000 officials and professional personnel specializing in climate response from more than 120 developing countries, and made positive contribution to building a fair, reasonable and win-win global climate governance system. 

During the consultation on the outcome document of the G20 Environment and Climate Ministers’ Meeting, China played its role as the President of the 15th meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the UN Convention on Biological Diversity, worked to coordinate the interests of all parties, promoted the conclusion of a balanced text, advocated China’s vision of harmonious co-existence between man and nature and putting people front and centre, and called for avoidance of unwarranted discrimination or restriction to international trade caused by green economic policies.

China will continue to strengthen policy exchange and practical cooperation on environmental and climate issues with other countries under the G20 and other frameworks to jointly promote green, low carbon and sustainable development around the world.