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China will keep its word on climate agreements, Xi tells Merkel and Macron
- Chinese president says it will be a tough battle but Beijing is committed to building ‘green and low-carbon economy’
- He also takes veiled swipe at US, saying climate change should not be used ‘as an excuse to attack other countries’
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China is committed to building a “green and low-carbon” economy and will keep its word on global climate agreements, President Xi Jinping told the French and German leaders in talks on Friday.
“[China] will use the shortest time in human history to achieve peak carbon emissions and carbon neutrality, and there is no doubt that it will be a very tough battle, but we always keep our word and deliver,” Xi said during a virtual summit with German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Emmanuel Macron, according to state broadcaster CCTV.
“We have included [those targets of 2030 and 2060, respectively] … in our overall plan for environmental development and we will push ahead in a comprehensive way the development of a green and low-carbon economy.”
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He also said Beijing had decided to accept the Kigali Amendment to the Montreal Protocol and strengthen control on non-CO2 greenhouse gases such as HFCs, or hydrofluorocarbons, used in refrigeration, air conditioning and fire protection.
The amendment took effect in 2019 and has been ratified by 93 countries and the European Union and seeks over 80 per cent reduction in HFCs consumption by 2047.
The meeting followed talks between Xi and Merkel less than two weeks ago, and came ahead of next week’s Earth Day summit, when US President Joe Biden is expected to announce new and ambitious emissions-reduction targets and urge other countries to follow suit. It also coincided with a visit by US climate envoy John Kerry to China.
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