Chinese envoy puts forward four-point proposal on global climate cooperation

UNITED NATIONS: Zhang Jun, China’s permanent representative to the United Nations on Tuesday put forward a four-point proposal for global climate cooperation.

China attaches great importance to tackling climate change and is ready to work with all parties to make the upcoming 26th United Nations Climate Change Conference of the Parties (COP26) a success so as to promote the comprehensive, effective and sustained implementation of the Paris Agreement, Zhang told a UN General Assembly high-level debate on climate action.

The first proposal he made is to follow the rules. Zhang said that it is necessary to uphold the status of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change as the main channel in global climate governance and implement the objectives, spirit, and principles of the Paris Agreement in a comprehensive and balanced manner.

All parties should firmly uphold multilateralism, complete negotiations on outstanding issues concerning the details of rules in the Paris Agreement, and lay a solid political foundation for global climate cooperation.

The second is to earnestly implement the commitments. All parties should move beyond political slogans and taking actions on mitigation, adaptation, finance, technology, and capacity-building so as to promote significant progress at COP26 on issues of finance and adaptation.

Developed countries should take the lead in significantly reducing emissions and effectively fulfilling their commitments to providing financial, technological, and capacity-building support to developing countries, Zhang further said.

Thirdly, Zhang said, countries should adhere to the principle of each doing its maximum. Countries should respect each other’s national conditions and abilities, follow the arrangements of Nationally Determined Contributions and give their best.

Developing countries are facing the severe impact of Covid-19 and the arduous task of poverty alleviation. So, there should not be a one-size-fits-all approach to emission reduction.

The fourth is to accelerate green transformation. Zhang said that the international community should vigorously promote the transformation and upgrading of economic, energy, industrial, agricultural and forestry structures, encourage the innovation of technologies and business models and achieve a win-win situation to combat climate change and attain sustainable economic and social development. To this end, there is a need to provide strong support and create a favorable environment for developing countries.

Zhang said China keeps its word on climate change and has already exceeded its target of climate action for 2020 ahead of schedule. China is resolute in curbing the blind development of projects involving high energy consumption and high emissions.

China has also launched the world’s largest online carbon market and actively carried out South-South cooperation on climate change, thus making significant contributions to the global climate response.