Policy wisdom epitomized by call to build a community of life for man and nature Through a slew of powerful policy manifestations led by President Xi
Jinping over the past month, China has shown its enhanced commitment to
and ambition for better tackling climate change and preserving the
environment. In particular, the fresh Chinese policy wisdom for handling thorny
environmental problems is epitomized by Xi's recent calling on the world
for building a community of life for man and nature. All these newly unveiled policy ideas mark China's evolving theory,
vision and great sense of duty as a major developing country in the
post-pandemic era when it seeks justice and equality in the
environmental agenda and speaks out for other developing countries,
experts and officials said. The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has dampened hopes for economic growth
across the globe while climate change, biodiversity loss and
desertification are worsening. The United Nations Environment Programme warned late last month that
the "three planetary crises" of climate change, biodiversity loss and
pollution are reinforcing each other and driving further damage to the
environment and to the health of mankind. Meanwhile, the past 30 days have witnessed a packed schedule of
China's engagement in the global agenda regarding environment and
climate change. On April 15 and 16, China's Special Envoy for Climate Change Xie
Zhenhua and United States Special Presidential Envoy for Climate John
Kerry talked in Shanghai. Then Xi engaged in a video summit on April 16 with French President
Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Angela Merkel on topics including
cooperation in coping with climate change, and he said eliminating
greenhouse gases should not be a bargaining chip for geopolitics, a
target for attacking other countries or an excuse for trade barriers. On April 18, Washington and Beijing issued a joint statement on handling climate change. When delivering a speech via video link at the Leaders Summit on
Climate on April 22, Xi proposed the concept of a community of life for
man and nature. Xi called for countries' commitment to six areas: harmony between man
and nature, green development, systemic governance, a people-centered
approach, multilateralism and the principle of common but differentiated
responsibilities. Xu Huaqing, director-general of the National Center for Climate
Change Strategy and International Cooperation, said the six areas Xi
named are based on China's successful practices in ecological matters as
well as the country's vision in global climate governance, and they
constitute a "China solution" for building a global ecological response. Ronnie Lins, director of the China-Brazil Center for Research and
Business, said Xi's speech plays a leading role in the global fight
against climate change. The international community should stick to multilateralism and the
principle of common but differentiated responsibility when coping with
issues regarding climate change, he told Xinhua News Agency. On April 30, Xi, who is also general secretary of the Communist Party
of China Central Committee, presided over a study session of the
Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee on advancing the building
of an ecological response, and he said that economic policy planning
must align with the need to peak carbon emissions and pursue sustainable
growth. Xi's comments show that "China not only honors its national strategy
of actively dealing with climate change and promoting green development
and low-carbon transformation, but it is also consistently helping and
supporting other developing countries within its capabilities in these
matters," said Wang Jinnan, chief engineer of the Chinese Academy for
Environmental Planning. Yoav Yair, dean of the School of Sustainability at Israel's
Interdisciplinary Center Herzliya, said what China has already done to
defeat climate change is impressive, given that the country is "looking
at all the options available in order to curb carbon emissions, and
they're making good progress". China is "making an enormous effort in renewable energies", and
environmental legislation in China has "proved very effective and showed
significant improvement in air quality in major cities", Yair told
Xinhua. At a recent event in Beijing celebrating China's aid to other
countries over 70 years, State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi
said China is committed to helping countries that are receiving
assistance to build a resource-saving and environmentally friendly
society as well as building a community of life for man and nature. China will further carry out in-depth cooperation projects on new
energy, environmental protection and handling climate change, share
experiences in green development and jointly build a green Silk Road, he
said. "When it comes to climate change, the actions of some countries
disregard the future of all mankind as they seek their own short-term
interests and act mainly out of political considerations," said Su
Xiaohui, deputy director of the Department for American Studies at the
China Institute of International Studies. "It will be very difficult to form a joint force if there are no
globally recognized ideas for guidance and the direction of joint
efforts is not made clear," Su added. In a broader view of its environmental policy timeline, China, led by
Xi, is on course to create a series of fresh, inspiring initiatives for
making the planet greener. In September, Xi first announced that China will strive to peak
carbon dioxide emissions before 2030 and achieve carbon neutrality
before 2060 when addressing the General Debate of the 75th Session of
the UN General Assembly. At the Climate Ambition Summit in December, Xi announced some further
commitments for 2030, such as the goal that China will lower its carbon
dioxide emissions per unit of GDP by over 65 percent from the level in
2005. In October, China will host the 15th Conference of the Parties of the
Convention on Biological Diversity in an effort to improve global
governance on biodiversity.
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