Chinese vice premier urges full implementation of Paris Agreement on climate change

Zhang Gaoli (R), Chinese vice premier and special envoy of President Xi Jinping, meets with French President Francois Hollande on the sidelines of the opening ceremony of the High-Level Event for the Signature of the Paris Agreement at the United Nations headquarters in New York April 22, 2016.[Photo/Xinhua]

Chinese Vice Premier Zhang Gaoli held talks separately with French President Francois Hollande and US Secretary of State John Kerry here Friday, urging full implementation of the Paris Agreement on climate change.

The talks were held on the sidelines of the High-Level Event for the Signature of the Paris Agreement at the United Nations headquarters.

In the talks with Hollande, Zhang lauded efforts by the French side in hosting a successful UN climate change conference in Paris, during which the historic deal was finally adopted with no objection on Dec. 12, 2015.

He highlighted the close coordination and highly effective cooperation between China and France throughout the preparatory process of and the negotiation during the conference, noting that the joint statement on climate change issued by Chinese President Xi Jinping and Hollande in November in Beijing contributed to the final adoption of the agreement.

China is willing to work together with France to further promote the follow-up negotiations and effective implementation of the deal, Zhang said.

Moreover, as the hosting country of the 2016 G20 Summit, which is scheduled to be held in east China's Hangzhou City in early September, China will lead the G20 to push forward the great cause of globally countering climate change, he said.

The vice premier also expressed the hope that the two countries could maintain high-level exchanges to discuss possible coordination of development strategies such as China's 13th Five Year Plan for socioeconomic development in the 2016-2020 period and initiative on the construction of the Silk Road Economic Belt and the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road, and France's "Industry of the Future" plan, as well as deepen cooperation in nuclear power, aviation and sustainable development.

For his part, Hollande highly commented on China's role in promoting the adoption of the Paris Agreement, noting that France is ready to work together with China to take advantage of the G20 Hangzhou Summit to promote implementation of the agreement.

France is full of confidence in China's economic development, and wishes to further strengthen cooperation in renewable resources, nuclear power, urban construction and third-party marketing, said Hollande.

In the talks with Kerry, Zhang noted the successful meeting between Chinese President Xi Jinping and U.S. President Barack Obama on the sidelines of the fourth Nuclear Security Summit in Washington on March 31, adding that the two sides should plan well for upcoming bilateral high-level meetings and dialogues of this year to achieve more positive results.

Zhang said that China and the United States have issued three joint statements on climate change over the past few years, and both have played key roles in securing the adoption of the Paris Agreement. All of these developments indicate that the two countries could achieve win-win results in dealing with global challenges through cooperation.

The two sides should continuously motivate the cooperating process in fighting climate change by making use of multilateral platforms, such as the G20 Hangzhou Summit, and promote practical bilateral cooperation in the area through mechanisms including the China-U.S. Strategic and Economic Dialogue and the China-U.S. Climate Change Working Group, said Zhang.

China and the United States share common interests and responsibilities in global energy security and development. The two countries should strengthen dialogue and deepen cooperation to contribute to global energy sustainability, added Zhang.

For his part, Kerry said that the US-China relations are among the world's most important bilateral ties, and that both countries have played vital roles in achieving the final adoption of the Paris Agreement.

The United States would like to work together with China to strengthen mutually beneficial cooperation in various fields, he added.

A total of 175 countries signed the Paris Agreement at the U.N. headquarters in New York on Friday -- the first day on which the deal was open for signature.

Zhang, in the capacity of a special envoy of President Xi Jinping, signed the document on behalf of the Chinese government.