China a doer in advancing global climate governance

By He Yin, People’s Daily
The 28th session of the Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, or COP28, kicked off in Dubai, the United Arab Emirates on Nov. 30.
The meeting will carry out the first-ever two-year assessment of the world’s collective progress toward the goals of the 2015 Paris Agreement, and is of great phased significance for the global climate governance process.
The international community expects all parties to adhere to the objectives, principles and institutional arrangements outlined in the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, and send a positive signal of focused action and enhanced cooperation.
The COP28, themed “Unite, Act and Deliver,” reflects the aspiration of the international community to jointly cope with climate change. According to a recent report issued by the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change secretariat, national climate action plans remain insufficient to meet the goals of the Paris Agreement.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres noted that the COP28 must be the place to urgently close the climate ambition gap, and developed countries must rebuild trust “by delivering on their finance commitments.”
China is a doer in advancing global climate governance. Since the beginning of this year, it has maintained close communication with all parties to promote a successful COP28 and the comprehensive and effective implementation of the Paris Agreement.
Recently, Chinese President Xi Jinping met with his U.S. counterpart Joe Biden in San Francisco. The two heads of state underscored the importance of working together to accelerate efforts to tackle the climate crisis in this critical decade.
They welcomed recent positive discussions between their respective special envoys for climate, including on national actions to reduce emissions in the 2020s, common approaches toward a successful COP28 and operationalization of the Working Group on Enhancing Climate Action in the 2020s to accelerate concrete climate actions.
Secretary-General of the World Meteorological Organization Petteri Taalas believes that this echoes the spirit of global cooperation and has a positive impact on addressing the challenges of climate change worldwide.
Xi recently emphasized in a phone call with French President Emmanuel Macron that China stands ready to work with France in sending a strong signal of jointly addressing the issue of climate change, so as to prompt the success of the COP28.
As a responsible developing country, China has actively addressed climate change as the intrinsic demand for it to realize sustainable development. It has contributed its wisdom and strength to global climate governance.
China has implemented a national strategy to actively address climate change, announced its carbon peak and carbon neutrality goals, and put in place a “1+N” policy framework for carbon peak and carbon neutrality.
It has promoted structural adjustments of industry, energy, and transportation, adopted energy-saving and efficiency-improving measures, established and improved market mechanisms, and increased forest carbon sinks.
China places mitigation and adaptation on equal footing, and has made positive progress in addressing climate change. In 2022, China’s carbon emissions intensity decreased by over 51 percent from its 2005 level.
China has been actively engaged in South-South cooperation on climate change, and actively participated in the multilateral process of climate change, showing great responsibility as a major country.
Recently, the Al Dhafra PV2 Solar Power Plant in the United Arab Emirates, which was contracted by a Chinese company, has been completed. It is currently the world’s largest single photovoltaic project, providing electricity for 200,000 households and reducing carbon emissions by 2.4 million tons annually.
By September 2023, China had signed 48 memorandums of understanding on South-South cooperation on climate change with dozens of developing countries. It has collaborated on the construction of four low-carbon demonstration zones and implemented 75 projects on climate change mitigation and adaptation.
Furthermore, China has trained over 2,300 officials and technical personnel in the field of climate change for more than 120 developing countries.
China has launched close cooperation with Europe on green development, established a China-Europe carbon neutrality research center, initiated the China-France Carbon Neutrality Center, and hosted the Global Sustainable Transport Forum. These efforts have helped build consensus on global climate governance and boosted confidence in addressing climate change worldwide.
Addressing climate change is a cause shared by all of humanity. All parties should uphold the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change as the main channel for global climate governance, stay committed to the principle of common but differentiated responsibilities, and promote full and effective implementation of the Convention and the Paris Agreement.
China will work with all parties to use the Global Stocktake as an opportunity to step up implementation, strengthen supporting measures and jointly build a fair, reasonable and win-win global climate governance system.