China calls for stronger intl collaboration

Vice-Premier Ding Xuexiang called for strengthened international green collaboration and the free flow of high-quality green products on Thursday to promote global sustainable development.

Ding, addressing the Belem Climate Summit in Brazil as President Xi Jinping's special representative, applauded Brazil's significant contribution to advancing global climate governance as the presidency of COP30.

Officially known as the 30th session of the Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, COP30 runs from Thursday to Nov 21 in Belem, focusing on implementing the 2015 Paris Agreement and assessing countries' updated Nationally Determined Contributions, or NDCs. An NDC is a climate action plan to cut emissions and adapt to climate impacts, which each party to the Paris Agreement is required to establish and update every five years.

This year marks the 10th anniversary of the Paris Agreement, with global climate governance entering a critical stage, the vice-premier emphasized.

While China has achieved remarkable results in implementing its 2030 NDC, Xi announced the country's NDC by 2035 at the UN Climate Summit in September, Ding said, adding that China's new NDC covers all economic sectors and greenhouse gases and sets an absolute emissions reduction target for the first time, demonstrating the country's firm determination and comprehensive efforts.

The vice-premier highlighted important arrangements for building a beautiful China as part of a new five-year development road map by the Communist Party of China at the recent fourth plenary session of the 20th CPC Central Committee. The road map includes measures to tackle climate change, emphasizing carbon peaking and carbon neutrality as the driving forces for coordinated efforts in carbon reduction, pollution reduction, green development expansion and economic growth.

China honors its words with concrete actions and will make greater contributions to addressing climate change, Ding stressed. He added that humanity is at a new crossroads, requiring all parties to uphold true multilateralism, enhance unity and cooperation, and promote the steady, long-term development of global climate governance.

Ding called on countries to strengthen confidence and coordinate goals of environmental protection, economic development, job creation and poverty elimination. He emphasized improving people's livelihoods and climate governance in a coordinated manner to promote high-quality development and deliver benefits worldwide.

Ding underscored the importance of upholding the principle of common but differentiated responsibilities as nations strive to implement the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change and its Paris Agreement. Developed countries should implement their obligations to take the lead in reducing emissions, fulfill their investment commitments, and provide more technological and capacity-building support for developing countries.

Ding also called for strengthened international collaboration on green technologies and industries. He emphasized removing trade barriers to ensure the free flow of high-quality green products and better meet global sustainable development needs.

Paradigm shift

Addressing the summit on Thursday, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres urged world leaders to take immediate, decisive actions to combat climate change.

"The hard truth is that we have failed to ensure we remain below 1.5 degrees," Guterres said.

Against this backdrop, he stressed the need for a paradigm shift to limit this overshoot, warning of ecosystem dangers and dramatic socioeconomic consequences. The Paris Agreement aims to keep the global temperature rise this century below a 2 C increase from preindustrial levels and to pursue efforts to limit the increase further to 1.5 C.

Guterres urged world leaders to act now to reverse the global warming trend. "If we act now, at speed and scale, we can make the overshoot as small, as short and as safe as possible, and bring temperatures back below 1.5 degrees Celsius before the century's end," he said.

"We need to move faster and move together. This COP must ignite a decade of acceleration and delivery," he added.