In this new era of geopolitics and climate multilateralism, China's climate leadership is more important than ever, stressed Simon Stiell, executive secretary of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change.
Stiell made the comment while delivering his keynote speech at Tsinghua University on Thursday.
Highlighting China's contribution to global climate advocacy, he noted the country's leadership in climate multilateralism, which has roughly halved projected global temperature rise over the past decade.
"China was integral to forging the Paris Agreement in 2015. And since then, you have been a leading light in its implementation. You have embraced climate action at home — driving jobs, high living-standards, and economic growth," he emphasized.
China's clean energy transformation has been breathtaking: investments have almost doubled within a decade, reaching more than $625 billion in 2024 and on course to keep growing, he continued.