COP15: China’s biodiversity goals in focus as Xi Jinping plans summit speech

In the lead-up to COP26 in Glasgow, there are growing call to link biodiversity with climate issues and find solutions to solve these crises

Norway’s ambassador to China sees Xi’s announcement that China would no longer finance coal abroad as an encouraging sign for Beijing’s action on biodiversity

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Conservationists and diplomats have hopes for the COP15 biodiversity conference in Kunming. Photo: Xinhua

Published: 3:03pm, 11 Oct 2021Updated: 10:29pm, 11 Oct 2021

Chinese President Xi Jinping will speak on Tuesday via video link at the United Nations Biodiversity Conference (COP15) summit, according to China’s foreign ministry.

The COP15 conference, which started on Monday, is taking place in the southwestern city of Kunming.

It ends on Friday but will continue next spring when the parties to the UN Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) are expected to adopt a post-2020 global biodiversity framework that aims to reverse biodiversity loss in this decade.

Li Shuo, a global policy adviser for Greenpeace East Asia, said Xi’s participation highlighted the importance of the biodiversity agenda for China.

“The world will be curiously watching and see how China might use this platform to announce domestic conservation efforts and contribute to the global momentum in the run-up to COP26,” Li said, referring to the UN Climate Change Conference later this month.

Chinese President Xi Jinping will deliver a speech on Tuesday via video link at the COP15 summit. Photo: AFP

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