Fulfilling international obligations
China endeavors to fulfill its obligations to the international community. It has participated in a number of international environmental action plans and treaties. For example, it has joined several schemes launched by the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP) relating to the northwest Pacific and the seas of East Asia, and the protection of the marine environment from land-based activities.
Cooperation with developed countries has been enhanced as well so as to glean advanced ideas and technologies that facilitate reaching China's targets on energy conservation and emission reduction. By adhering to the principle of mutual benefit and win-win results, China shares its experience in balancing development and environmental protection with other developing countries. What's more, it works with its neighboring and surrounding countries to jointly solve environmental problems.
Under the framework of South-South cooperation, China proactively assists developing countries. For instance, it has launched biogas technology cooperation with Tunisia and several other countries; hydroelectric power facilities in countries like Cameroon have been built with assistance from China; and Mongolia and Papua New Guinea have cooperated with China in the fields of solar power and wind power generation. To date, China has helped Africa to carry out 105 clean energy and water supply projects. In 2012, China began to assist some African countries in building automatic meteorological observation stations, upper-air observation radar stations, and forest protection facilities. It further helped by carrying out exchanges of personnel and organizing training programs in order to enhance Africa's capacity for tackling climate change and protecting ecological environment.
Since 2011, China has earmarked a total of RMB 2.7 billion to helping developing countries build up their abilities to cope with climate change, and has provided relevant training programs to nearly 2,000 officials and professionals from developing countries.
At the UN Climate Summit in September 2014, Zhang Gaoli declared that China would double its annual financial support for South-South cooperation in tackling climate change and set up the South-South Cooperation Fund on Climate Change. China also committed to providing US $6 million to support the UN Secretary General in advancing South-South cooperation in dealing with climate change. In the future, China will continue its assistance to developing countries under the framework of South-South cooperation and so jointly make progress towards environmental goals.
Zhang also stressed that, as a responsible major country, China would handle climate change issues with greater effort to achieve better results, and take the initiative to undertake international obligations in conformity with its own national conditions, development stage, and actual capabilities.
(Courtesy: China Today)