Vice-premier calls for joint efforts with EU to drive global climate cooperation

Vice-Premier Han Zheng called on Monday for efforts from China and the European Union to make green cooperation a new highlight of the China-EU comprehensive strategic partnership.

Han made the remark during the first High-Level Environment and Climate Dialogue between China and the EU with Executive Vice-President of the European Commission Frans Timmermans via video link.

Han, who is also a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, said China has pledged to peak its carbon dioxide emissions by 2030 and achieve carbon neutrality by 2060.

This is based on China's responsibility of building a community with a shared future for mankind and its requirement to achieve sustainable development, he said. China needs to make extremely arduous efforts to promote energy conservation, emission reduction and low-carbon development, in order to achieve the goals as scheduled, he said.

The launch of the dialogue was the implementation of the consensus reached by the two sides during a China-Germany-EU leaders meeting held via video link in September.

Han said that China and the EU should give full play to the leading role of the high-level dialogue, deepen China-EU environmental and climate cooperation, and make green cooperation a new highlight and engine of the China-EU comprehensive strategic partnership.

The two sides should uphold multilateralism, safeguard the international system with the United Nations at the core, abide by the principle of common but differentiated responsibilities, and promote the construction of a fair, reasonable and win-win global environmental governance system, the vice-premier said.

Noting that China will host the 15th meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity this year in Kunming, Yunnan province, Han said that China hoped to work together with the EU to ensure the conference achieves positive results, launches a new process of global biodiversity governance and promotes the building of a shared future for all life on Earth.

Timmermans said he highly appreciated China's positive position on climate change and other issues. He expressed a willingness to expand and deepen EU-China dialogue and cooperation in the field of the environment and climate and to give full play to the role of multilateral mechanisms.

In the past month, Han has reaffirmed China's commitment to and called for international efforts in dealing with climate change at several multilateral events, including the Climate Adaptation Summit 2021 held last week and the One Planet Summit held earlier in January, which focused on global climate and environmental governance.

Xinhua contributed to this story.

mojingxi@chinadaily.com.cn