Green is the distinctive hallmark of China-EU cooperation. Both sides actively support low-carbon transition and green development, firmly uphold the international climate governance system based on the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, Mao Ning, spokesperson of China's Foreign Ministry, told a press conference on Monday.
Mao made the remarks in response to a question noting that during Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi's visit to Europe, climate change is a major priority in the EU's cooperation proposal.
Mao said that climate change bears on the survival and well-being of every nation and individual, and on the future of humanity. Tackling climate change requires a collective effort. China, while adjusting its energy mix and pursuing green development, is also working closely with the rest of the world to actively contribute to global climate governance.
China and EU share extensive common interests and enormous cooperation space on addressing climate change. Projects in this field, such as the Daya Bay Nuclear Power Station, the Thrace Wind Power Project in Greece and the Döllen solar park in Germany are landmark achievements of China-EU green cooperation, Mao said.
China is committed to delivering on green development and major contributor to this global cause. We stand ready to work with the EU to uphold multilateralism, fulfill the goals identified in the Paris Agreement, strengthen cooperation on mitigation and adaptation and green and low-carbon transition, and contribute to better global climate governance, the spokesperson noted.
Also on Monday, the Financial Times has reported that the EU is holding back on signing a joint declaration with China this month on climate action, unless China pledged greater efforts to cut its greenhouse gas emissions.
In response to questions on whether China would want for this joint declaration to be signed ahead of the China-EU leaders summit this month and whether China has been looking at more climate pledges as well, Mao said that China is committed to green and low-carbon development.
Over the past decade, the share of non-fossil fuels in China's total energy consumption has gone up to 17.9 percent and carbon intensity has come down by over 34 percent, she said.
China will continue working with the rest of the world to enhance international cooperation on climate and contribute to global green transition and sustainable development, Mao noted.
During a meeting with President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen on July 2, Wang Yi noted that both sides should uphold multilateralism and free trade, safeguard international rules and order, promote the peaceful resolution of international disputes, and join hands in addressing global challenges such as climate change, according to China's Foreign Ministry.
The cooperation between China and Europe on green development can provide a reference for other countries to make low-carbon efforts under multilateral frameworks such as the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, Jian Junbo, director of the Center for China-Europe Relations at Fudan University's Institute of International Studies, told the Global Times on Monday.
Noting EU's anti-subsidy probe into Chinese electric vehicles, which has become one of obstacles for China-EU green cooperation, Jian noted that the EU should recognize that China's green products and technologies contribute to achieving the bloc's green development goals, as well as the world's low-carbon transformation.
In order to promote the stable development of China-EU relationship and safeguard the free trade, the European side should change the entrenched competitive mindset toward China, abandon protectionist barriers, and address differences through dialogue, consultation, and multilateralism, Jian noted.
In an earlier interview with the Global Times, Fang Dongkui, secretary general of the China Chamber of Commerce to the EU, said that the Chinese business community in the EU expects more institutionalized dialogue between China and the EU on trade and investment, as well as greater engagement in the green transition, digital transformation, and high-end manufacturing — areas with vast potential for win-win collaboration.
Cui Hongjian, director and professor of the Center for European Union and Regional Development Studies at Beijing Foreign Studies University, said that China and the EU have established close ties through supply and industrial chains. This economic symbiosis is hard to be altered by external factors. The two parties hold enormous potential for cooperation in emerging sectors such as the green economy and the digital economy, offering broad space for collaboration.
The relationship between China and the EU is never a zero-sum game, but one where mutual benefit can be achieved through exchanging complementary advantages, he said, noting that the two sides should pursue policy adjustments and pragmatic partnership to promote the stable development of bilateral economic relations and address global challenges together.
