China leading in clean energy investment: EF CEO

A wind farm at Rudong in Jiangsu province. China's installed wind power capacity had reached almost 63 million kilowatts by the end of 2012. [Photo by Xu Congjun / for China Daily]

BEIJING - China is already the global leader in clean energy investment, said Eric Heitz, CEO of the Energy Foundation (EF), Thursday in Beijing.

Clean wind power, solar energy, electric vehicles, LED lighting that uses less power but gives very good lighting, more efficient appliances like refrigerators or washing machines, and more efficient industrial equipment are the areas where China is a global leader, said Heitz.

"Many people, including the Chinese people, don't know that China has become a global leader," Heitz said. "And with new commitments, China will accelerate its leadership even further."

In November 2014, China and the United States announced a climate change agreement, in which China pledged that by no later than 2030 its carbon emissions would peak and non-fossil fuels would account for 20 percent of the country's energy mix.

In September this year, during his state visit to the United States, President Xi Jinping and his US counterpart Barack Obama made another joint declaration on climate change.

"This is unusual,showing the two countries have much common ground on the issue," said EF's senior vice president Lin Jiang.

"The (upcoming) COP21 is a big deal for China and for the planet. But no matter what happens in Paris, it will still be true that China has stepped up as global leader on global warming, " Heitz says.

A US non-profit organization, EF works to assist China in transitioning towards clean energy by offering international best practices.