HAN ZHENG: FIGHT AGAINST CLIMATE CHANGE IS PRIORITY FOR CHINA

ANTALYA, NOVEMBER 11 /SRNA/ - China attaches great importance to the fight against climate change and remains committed to fully implementing the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change and the Paris Agreement, Chinese Vice President Han Zheng, President Xi Jinping's special representative, said.

Meeting UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on the sidelines of the Leaders' Summit at the UN Climate Change Conference in Antalya, Han reminded that Xi had announced China's climate targets for 2035 last year, confirming the country's determination to do its utmost to tackle climate change.

He said new targets had been set this year: renewables are to make up 50 percent of energy and electricity 35 percent of final energy consumption by 2030.

"With this, China continues to make a significant contribution to stability and certainty in global climate governance," Han said.

He stressed the importance of cooperation with the UN and said China remained committed to fully implementing the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change and the Paris Agreement, and to strongly supporting South-South cooperation partnerships.

Guterres described China as a key pillar of multilateralism and an indispensable source of support for the UN, China Media Group reported.

He said China consistently delivered on its environmental pledges and that its concrete actions regularly went beyond its commitments.

China was a leading power in renewable energy and had made a key contribution to cutting greenhouse gas emissions, Guterres said.

He expressed hope that the UN would continue to work closely with China to halt the trend of rising global temperatures.