Han Zheng at COP31 in Antalya reaffirmed China's commitment to 'clear' climate goals

Meeting on the sidelines of the climate summit

Vice President of China Han Zheng met on Tuesday with UN Secretary-General António Guterres on the sidelines of the 31st Conference of the Parties to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP31), currently taking place in Antalya, the Xinhua agency reported, as cited by Anadolu. Han conveyed to Guterres 'heartfelt' greetings from Chinese President Xi Jinping and stated that Beijing attaches great importance to the issue of climate change.

China's goals up to 2030

According to Han Zheng, China intends to set 'clear' goals and ensure their implementation in order to give stability and predictability to global climate governance. This year, as he noted, Beijing set the tasks of raising the share of non-fossil energy sources in electricity generation to 50% and the share of electricity in final energy consumption to 35% by 2030.

Difficulties facing developing countries and the UN position

Han Zheng acknowledged that the global response to climate change faces numerous difficulties: developing countries, in particular, face a shortage of funding, technological constraints and insufficient capacity to fulfil their nationally determined contributions, which requires joint action by the international community. He added that China expects new progress and consensus from the 31st conference under Guterres' leadership.

Guterres' reaction

The UN Secretary-General, in response, called China a world leader in renewable energy and said that the country has made a 'substantial' contribution to reducing global greenhouse gas emissions. According to the UN, the parties also discussed the importance of working together to achieve solid outcomes at COP31 that would close the gaps in mitigation, finance and adaptation. Guterres thanked Han Zheng for his 'constant' support for the UN and its work.