Climate Special 8: Staying the Course (II)

Today, in part two of our interview with Li Gao, China’s Vice Minister of Ecology and Environment, we’ll talk about the risks and benefits of Sino-US cooperation and the possible role China will play to combat climate change. 

Transcript

Staying the Course (II)

Today, in part two of our interview with Li Gao, China’s Vice Minister of Ecology and Environment, we’ll talk about the risks and benefits of Sino-US cooperation and the possible role China will play to combat climate change. 

NC: Let’s get right back into the conversation with Vice Minister Li. Our NewsChina interviewer asked, China’s Action Plan for Peak Carbon Emissions before 2030, which was issued in 2021, lists actions and goals to peak carbon emissions from 2021 to 2030. Some of the goals are expected to be reached by 2025, including energy consumption, the use of renewable energy, and the recycling of resources. Based on current progress, do you think the 2025 goals will be achieved?

Vice Minister Li responded: Through our great efforts, most goals can be achieved on time, some even ahead of schedule. For example, China’s plan was to bring total installed capacity of wind power and solar PV to over 1.2 billion kilowatts by 2030. This was already reached at the end of July 2024. China’s new energy industries contribute 40 percent to our GDP growth. Wind power and solar PV, energy storage, electric vehicles and power batteries now represent China’s new quality productive forces and are new driving forces for high-quality development, and they are expected to maintain long-term international competitiveness.

But there are also challenges. Government agencies have made plans to strengthen implementation, and will incentivize local governments and enterprises to fulfill their responsibilities, promote the deployment of low-carbon technologies, improve energy conservation and energy efficiency, carry out coal-fired power flexibility retrofitting, and enhance the consumption of renewable energy. These efforts will facilitate the attainment of the targets.

NC: Our next question was, how have the interactions between China and the US on climate issues influenced global negotiations on climate change?

Li said, climate change is a global challenge. The multilateral UN climate change negotiations, with the participation of more than 190 parties, follow the Party-driven and consensus-based decision-making process. However, China and the US, as the biggest developing and developed country respectively in the world, have an important influence on the negotiation process. China and the US share common interests on the climate issue and both have important responsibilities. The two countries have cooperated at the bilateral and multilateral levels and achieved good results. But at the same time, as China and the US differ in historical climate responsibilities, stages of development, energy and industrial structures, as well as ideas about international cooperation, they hold different stances on many climate issues.

The Paris Agreement was a successful example of China-US cooperation on climate change.

From 2013 to 2015, China and the US conducted a series of meetings and negotiations at the working level, the ministerial level and the top leadership level, to promote an international climate agreement to be reached at the UN Paris Climate Change Conference. The two countries reached a consensus on key issues, including the arrangements related to the NDCs, published three joint statements, and announced their respective NDCs in the joint leaders’ statement issued before the 2015 Paris Conference, which was of great international influence. 

During the Paris Conference, Chinese President Xi Jinping and then US president Barack Obama met during the opening session and held a phone conversation in the second week of the negotiation, agreeing to promote negotiations through intensive communication and cooperation, which made a decisive contribution to the adoption of the Paris Agreement. Right after the Conference closed, the two leaders spoke by phone again and agreed to jointly promote the early entry into force of the Paris Agreement. At the G20 Summit in Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province, in September 2016, the two leaders submitted their respective legal instruments to the UN Secretary-General to join the Paris Agreement, playing a key leadership role in promoting the early entry into force and full implementation of the Paris Agreement.

NC: NewsChina asked, what are the risks and benefits for Sino-US cooperation on climate change?

LG: Climate change has a far-reaching and significant influence. There are great opportunities and potential for China-US cooperation, but there are many challenges as well. From the multilateral perspective, both countries have the need, consensus and willingness to cooperate in maintaining the effective implementation of international climate mechanisms. From the bilateral perspective, there is great potential for exchanges and cooperation between local governments, research institutes and think tanks. In fields such as renewable energy, electric vehicles and carbon capture, utilization and storage, the two countries can complement each other with their own advantages and achieve win-win cooperation.

The two countries have established the dialogue and cooperation mechanisms, making climate cooperation a bright spot of bilateral relations. Although China and the US have different views of the multilateral climate process to certain extent, they also share common concerns on some important issues. Cooperating to find solutions acceptable to both sides is in the interests of both countries and is beneficial to bilateral relations. The international community also expects China and the US to jointly advance the multilateral process to address climate change. 

We take note that the US has once again withdrawn from the Paris Agreement, but I would like to emphasize that addressing climate change is a common cause for humanity. No country can be immune to it, and all countries should cooperate in this regard. China has been strongly promoting the idea of a community with a shared future for mankind, actively and constructively advocating the establishment of a fair, reasonable, cooperative and win-win global climate governance system, and hopes to work together with all parties to address climate change. China has always been open to cooperation with the US and expects to continue to promote dialogue, exchanges and cooperation at all levels.

NC: Lastly, NewsChina asked, what role can China play in future moves against climate change?

LG: The Vice Minister said, China strongly upholds multilateralism, and safeguards the principles of equity and common but differentiated responsibilities and respective capabilities established by the UNFCCC. China has been earnestly fulfilling its international obligations and actively safeguarding the collective interests and legitimate appeals of developing countries, and we have called on developed countries to fulfill their responsibilities to reduce emissions and provide financial support for developing countries. 

In 2017, when the US announced its withdrawal from the Paris Agreement, Chinese President Xi Jinping reiterated at major international occasions the importance of adhering to multilateralism and safeguarding the Paris Agreement, which is an important achievement made by the international community due to arduous efforts. The international community has welcomed and applauded China’s constructive role in global climate governance. It should also be noted that the rapid development of China’s clean energy industry, including the deployment of wind power and solar PV has not only enabled China to achieve its own climate goals, but also reduced the cost of renewable energy worldwide, which has made a significant contribution to addressing climate change and accelerating the green and low-carbon transition globally.

The international community has anticipated that the new US administration might bring difficulties and challenges to global climate governance, but also widely believes that countries can make joint efforts to overcome these difficulties.

I think the role of China in promoting global climate actions should include the following aspects:

First, China will set an example of concrete actions and implementation. We will continue implementing the national strategy to address climate change, including firmly promoting carbon peaking and carbon neutrality in light of China’s national circumstances. We will develop new quality productive forces represented by green and low-carbon technologies, and achieve an overall economic and social green transformation and high-quality development while implementing our dual carbon goals.

Second, China will provide impetus to achieve green and low-carbon development worldwide. We will deepen international cooperation in green technologies and industries such as renewable energy, assist other developing countries in accessing the clean, reliable and affordable energy, support the green growth of the Global South and contribute to the global energy transition.

Third, China will always adhere to multilateralism, unequivocally oppose unilateralism and protectionism, and uphold the principles of the UNFCCC, especially the principles of equity and common but differentiated responsibilities and respective capabilities. We will continue to promote the construction of a fair, reasonable, cooperative and win-win global climate governance system, and safeguard the legitimate interests and appeals of developing countries. In this process, China will actively fulfill its international obligations, in light of its national circumstances, stages of development, and capacities.

Meanwhile, the Global South expects developed countries to undertake their responsibilities to enhance climate action, fill the emissions reduction and financing gap and build an environment conducive to international cooperation for tackling climate crisis as a global challenge.

Well, that’s the end of our podcast. Our theme music is by the famous film score composer Roc Chen. We want to thank our writers Li Jia and Wang Yan, translator Du Guodong and copy editor Pu Ren. And thank you for listening. I hope you enjoyed it, and if you did, please tell a friend, so they too can understand The Context!