Xie said Trump’s decision to withdraw hurt the confidence and resolution of many other countries, but its impact was now beginning to wane, and China’s own commitments to clean, low-carbon development were unbending.
China has already met a target to cut carbon intensity – the amount of CO2 emissions per unit of economic growth – by 40-45 percent from 2005 levels by 2020, and it is also on course to bring the share of non-fossil fuels to 15 percent of total energy consumption by the end of the decade, Xie said.
China was the world’s biggest investor in renewable energy and is in the process of establishing the world’s largest carbon trading exchange, he added.
Xie said he hoped developed countries would honor their commitments to the Paris agreement and provide the promised financial and technical support to poorer nations.
He also called on nations to use the upcoming G20 meeting to reaffirm their commitment to combating climate change.
“We hope that this meeting can send out a strong political signal that these economic powers should continue to make efforts to carry out the Paris Agreement and 2030 sustainable development goals,” Xie said.