China says Xi Jinping didn’t get opportunity for COP26 video address

Name: First COP26 pledge: world leaders agree to end deforestation by 2030
Uploaded: 2021-11-02T12:08:22.000Z
Duration: 1 min 24 s
Description: First COP26 pledge: world leaders agree to end deforestation by 2030

President delivered a written statement to the opening session on Monday that did not offer any further climate pledges

Foreign ministry spokesman says the conference organisers ‘did not provide’ a video link option

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President Xi Jinping has not left China since the pandemic began. Photo: AP

Reuters

Published: 8:08pm, 2 Nov 2021Updated: 8:08pm, 2 Nov 2021

China on Tuesday said President Xi Jinping was not given an opportunity to deliver a video address to the COP26 climate talks in Scotland and had to send a written response instead.

Xi, who is not attending the UN meeting in person, delivered a written statementto the opening “high-level segment for heads of state and government” on Monday in which he offered no additional pledges, while urging countries to keep their promises and “strengthen mutual trust and cooperation”.

“As I understand it, the conference organisers did not provide the video link method,” Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin told reporters at a regular briefing in Beijing.

A UK government spokesperson said Britain wanted people to attend COP26 in person so leaders could not join virtually. They can only offer recorded addresses or statements.

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First COP26 pledge: world leaders agree to end deforestation by 2030

Britain has organised the COP26 meeting in Glasgow, Scotland, which aims to secure net-zero carbon emissions and keep the Paris Agreement target of a 1.5 degrees Celsius temperature rise within reach in order to curb the impact of global warming.

Climate watchers have expressed concern that Xi’s physical absence means China is not prepared to offer any more concessions during this round of talks.