China a responsible player in tackling climate change

BEIJING -- A number of policies and actions demonstrate that China, a responsible country, is committed to making its due contribution to tackling climate change.

China Wednesday released a white paper to document the country's progress in mitigating climate change and share its experience and approaches with the rest of the international community.

The white paper, titled "Responding to Climate Change: China's Policies and Actions," came days after the country published a guiding document on achieving carbon peaking and carbon neutrality goals under the new development philosophy. It lays out specific targets and measures for the coming decades.

Publishing these key documents demonstrates that China attaches great importance to its response to climate change and shows how China honors its promises to the world.

China sees its responses to climate change as an important part of its efforts towards eco-environmental progress and high-quality development. The country has formulated new principles on tackling climate change, including advocating building a strong sense of common community, actively implementing the new development philosophy, taking a people-centered approach, striving for carbon neutrality, and synergizing the reduction of pollution and carbon emissions.

The world's second-largest economy will likely realize carbon neutrality through carbon peaking in the shortest time in global history. To meet its targets, China has implemented various strategies, regulations, policies, standards, and actions.

China will develop a unified and standardized carbon emissions statistical accounting system and improve laws, regulations, and standards. It will also optimize economic policies and establish sound market mechanisms as part of its efforts to enhance policy support.

Significant changes have taken place in China as the country responds to climate change. As part of the achievements listed in the white paper, the country's carbon intensity in 2020 was 18.8 percent lower than that in 2015 and 48.4 percent less than that in 2005. It means that China had more than fulfilled its commitment of achieving a 40 to 45 percent reduction in carbon intensity from the 2005 level by 2020.

Meanwhile, China also provides a powerful impetus for global climate governance. The country is an active participant in climate talks, having contributed to the conclusion and quick implementation of the Paris Agreement. With its particular vision and action, the country has charted the course for a new form of global climate governance, gradually moving onto the center stage of global climate governance.

Due to the complexity of the challenge, addressing climate change remains a long and arduous task that demands wide participation and a concerted global effort.

All countries should uphold the goals, principles, and framework set in the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change and the Paris Agreement, implement the latter, and build a fair and rational global climate governance system for win-win results.

As a responsible country, China is committed to building a global climate governance system that is fair, rational, cooperative, and beneficial to all, contributing to tackling climate change using its greatest strengths and most effective solutions. 

The views don't necessarily reflect those of Qiushi Journal.