In today’s world facing changes unseen in a century, climate change is not only one of the most prominent global challenges but also one of the core issues of global governance, looming large in world diplomacy. As globalization continues to be strained, de-globalization stands out and collective climate actions lose momentum, humanity’s journey to address climate change is now at a critical juncture. As clearly highlighted in the report of the 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China(CPC), “We have pursued major-country diplomacy with Chinese characteristics on all fronts. We have promoted the development of a human community with a shared future and stood firm in protecting international fairness and justice. We have advocated and practiced true multilateralism.” China’s climate diplomacy is an integral part of the major-country diplomacy with Chinese characteristics in the new era and also China’s practice in promoting the new type of international relations and the human community with a shared future. China’s climate diplomacy stands for the vision of a human community with a shared future and the global governance perspective featuring extensive consultation, joint contribution and shared beneifits, advocates and practices multilateralism, and adheres to and upholds the basic principles of climate diplomacy, thus playing a leading role in advancing global ecological conservation, contributing significantly to building a fair, equitable, cooperative and win-win global climate governance system, and presenting itself to the world as a responsible major country. 

As the worsening risks of climate change pose unprecedented challenges to human survival and development, solidarity and cooperation of the international community to actively address climate change has become a global consensus. President Xi Jinping has pointed out that ecological conservation concerns the future of mankind; to build a green homeland represents the shared human aspiration; to protect the eco-environment and tackle climate change requires all countries in the world to work together as one and no country can isolate itself from it or do it alone. Global climate governance is closely connected with global environment and development, as well as international politics and economics, making it one of the most eye-catching and far-reaching non-traditional security topics. The importance of climate governance in major-country relations and the international political environment is not to be ignored. 

Since the adoption of the United National Framework Convention on Climate Change ( hereinafter referred to as the Convention ) in 1992, thirty years have passed in the human journey of exploring and building a fair, equitable, cooperative and win-win global climate governance system. Despite the tortuous process, global climate governance has made positive progress. The basic structure of global climate governance has been continuously developed, with improved institutional systems, and gradually the multi-layered, diversified and resilient governance structure has been formed with the Convention, the Kyoto Protocol and the Paris Agreement as its international legal foundation. The principles and the responsibility-sharing model of global climate governance are constantly evolving, with the formation of a basic system for international climate cooperation featuring the fundamental principle of equity, common but differentiated responsibilities and respective capabilities, fully taking into account the national conditions of different countries and the goal of sustainable development, and incorporating the bottom-up architecture of nationally determined contributions. Science has proven that the current global climate governance model and system has achieved certain practical results, as the series assessment reports of the UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change indicate a shift of 4℃ to 2.1℃ in global warming by the end of this century. 

President Xi Jinping has stated that “as an important part of global governance, the global efforts on climate change can be taken as a mirror for us to reflect on what models to have for future global governance and how to build a community of shared future for mankind. Much valuable inspiration may thus be drawn.” In recent years, with the complicated and volatile international geopolitical and economic landscape, constantly diverging national interests and increasingly perplexing international climate negotiations, global climate governance has also been faced with a complex situation. In the context of overlapping energy, food and economic crises, as well as rising protectionism and unilateralism, the international community’s confidence and input in the prospect of global climate governance have been dampened, thus posing serious challenges to global climate governance. 

Global climate governance constitutes not only a responsibility for the present and future generations, but also respect and protection for the ecosystem of the Earth, and even more so, a crucial means to achieve sustainable development and safeguard global peace and stability. Confronted with the current dilemma and challenges, the international community should strengthen cooperation to jointly advance global climate governance. First, it is important to firmly uphold multilateralism. All countries shall earnestly honor their commitments and work together for climate actions and against any form of unilateral measures. Second, it is important to continuously improve the global climate governance system. The existing global climate governance system is generally feasible and effective. It is necessary to adhere to the core and central role of the United Nations and the principle of common but differentiated responsibilities, guided by the goal of equity, justice and win-win cooperation, further enrich and optimize the existing system. Third, it is important to promote green, low-carbon and resilient economic and social transition and maintain the global momentum of green development and low-carbon industrial boom by continuously driving sci-tech innovation and breakthroughs in green and low carbon technologies, so as to stimulate the low-carbon transformation of the global energy system and accelerate the growth of the global green industry. 

China has always attached great importance to international cooperation on climate change. It has actively engaged in climate summit diplomacy to build cohesion for global climate governance and made “foundational” contributions to the conclusion and enhanced implementation of the Paris Agreement, thus pushing forward the new global climate governance landscape with Chinese vision and practices.

By enhancing dialogue and cooperation with major countries to build political consensus, China has contributed to the successful progress of the global climate governance process. In the run-up to the 2015 climate conference, when negotiations on the Paris Agreement were stalled, China conducted active bilateral summit dialogues. As a result, top leaders of China and the United States issued four joint statements, and China also reached bilateral summit statements with the EU, the UK, France and other major developed countries to build consensus, paving the way for the conclusion of the Paris Agreement. President Xi Jinping, in his speech at the opening ceremony of the Paris Conference on Climate Change, made important statements that the Paris Agreement should “help meet the goals of the UNFCCC and chart the course for green development”, “help galvanize global efforts and encourage broad participation”, “increase input of resources to ensure actions on climate change” and “accommodate the national conditions of various countries and lay emphasis on practical results”, which represents a Chinese solution to climate governance. He also called on all parties to “create a future of win-win cooperation, with each country making contribution to the best of its ability”, “a future of the rule of law, fairness and justice”, and “a future of inclusiveness, mutual learning and common development”, thus making historical contributions to reaching the Paris Agreement for post-2020 global cooperation against climate change.

At the crucial moments when global climate governance was confronted with major uncertainties, President Xi Jinping reaffirmed China’s commitment to the Paris Agreement on many occasions, charting the course for and injecting strong impetus into global climate governance. At the General Debate of the 75th session of the UN General Assembly in September 2020, President Xi Jinping announced China’s plan to scale up its intended nationally determined contributions with a solemn commitment of “striving to peak carbon dioxide emissions by 2030 and achieve carbon neutrality by 2060”. At the Climate Ambition Summit in December 2020, President Xi Jinping further announced a host of new goals for 2030 in carbon dioxide emissions reduction, non-fossil fuel energy, forest stock volume, etc. At the General Debate of the 76th session of the UN General Assembly in September 2021, President Xi Jinping stated that China would step up support for other developing countries in developing green and low-carbon energy and would not build any new coal-fired power projects abroad. China has demonstrated to the international community its firm resolve to go all out to promote the new development concept, reflecting its clear-cut commitment to making new contributions to the global response to climate change and its fulfillment of obligations as a responsible major country.

As an integral part of China’s climate diplomacy, China’s Special Envoy for Climate Change has played an irreplaceable role in promoting and practicing the Chinese approach to global climate governance with Chinese characteristics. In conducting climate diplomacy with openness, flexibility and creativity, the Special Envoy has actively engaged all sides to seek and expand consensus, explained Chinese concepts and contributed Chinese solutions to the international community, thus continuously pushing forward the global climate governance system along the path of equity, justice and win-win cooperation. 

Proceeding from the common interests of all mankind, China has put forward concepts for global climate governance featuring Chinese characteristics to deal with various development challenges. China has underscored that to address climate change requires the commitment to a community of shared future for mankind and ecological conservation, a community of life for man and nature, the principle of common but differentiated responsibilities, climate equity and justice and upholding the basic rights and interests of developing countries. Specifically, it covers the following three aspects: First, win-win cooperation. In the face of the threat of climate change, all parties shall share weal and woe. China has proposed a new type of international relations with win-win cooperation at the heart, calling on all parties to work in collaboration to tide over difficulties, meet challenges, discuss solutions to climate change and safeguard the common interests of all mankind. Second, equity and justice. As developed countries and developing countries have different historical responsibilities, development stages and capabilities, China is committed to the principle of common but differentiated responsibilities, and stresses the importance of developed countries providing financial and technical support to developing countries to protect the legitimate rights and interests of developing countries, which is exactly meant for upholding the equity and justice in global climate governance. Third, inclusiveness and mutual learning. China advocates strengthened dialogue among all countries, respect for each other’s concerns, policymaking based on national conditions and freedom for all countries to seek responses best suited to their own national conditions.  

Through platforms such as bilateral dialogues, multilateral conferences and negotiation process of the Convention, the Special Envoy has made active and sustained efforts to explain China’s views on global climate governance. Despite the rise and fall in international balance of power and the continuous games of politics and interests, China has unswervingly supported multilateralism, actively advocated the interests of developing countries, and resolutely carried out actions and international cooperation to tackle climate change in a spirit of responsibility, practicality and cooperation. In the process of international climate change negotiations and global climate governance, China’s concepts for global climate governance have increasingly been welcomed and appreciated. The bottom-up architecture focused on nationally determined contributions established by the Paris Agreement is precisely an institutional reflection of the inclusiveness promoted by China. The role of the Special Envoy is not only to promote China’s domestic action on climate change to facilitate its dual carbon goals, but also to promote international cooperation on climate change, thus contributing significantly to the global carbon neutrality goal. 

Non-governmental climate diplomacy is an important bond for exchanges on climate policies and actions and for integration of climate governance concepts. As such, it is of great significance in building China’s image as a responsible major country and enhancing China’s voice in global climate governance. Non-governmental climate diplomacy connects well with the overall national climate diplomacy as it follows the latest international trend and focuses on the broader public community through its bottom-up non-governmental diplomacy approach. Fully engaging social organizations, universities and think-tanks, non-governmental organizations, businesses and industry associations in international climate cooperation helps to disseminate China’s climate governance concepts and publicize China’s climate action outcomes, and will also advance global climate technology, enhance experience sharing and personnel training and galvanize climate exchanges and cooperation across the board. 

Cooperation in green industrial capacity has been conducted through the Belt and Road Initiative. President Xi Jinping has on many occasions highlighted that the Belt and Road is aimed at promoting green development through green infrastructure development, green investment and green financing, so as to build a community with shared future for mankind. In recent years, Chinese enterprises have continuously worked to promote the development of green industries along the Belt and Road, following the principle of extensive consultation, joint contribution and shared benefits. China’s leading advantages in renewable energy, green transportation and other industries have been leveraged to increase investment in low-carbon and climate-resilient infrastructure development in Belt and Road countries and enhance cooperation in green industrial capacity in relevant sectors, thus laying a solid foundation for the future climate-friendly development of countries in the region.

Policy exchanges and dialogues have been carried out through deepened mutual learning. As an important supplement to inter-governmental policy dialogue, Track II dialogues have served as dialogue platforms and exchange channels for high-end thinktanks and research institutions, contributed to mutual understanding between the experts and policy support teams on both sides, and informed policy implementation and goal setting. For example, the China-Germany Track II Dialogue  on Climate Change and Sustainable Development and the China-US Track II Dialogue on Climate Finance, among others, have provided important opportunities for the two sides to gain a deeper understanding of relevant policies, learn from each other for scientific expertise and exchange best practices. 

Climate technology cooperation has been promoted to bolster green low-carbon transformation. Green, low-carbon and resilient development has become an irreversible trend in the world, with broad prospects for international industrial sci-tech cooperation and extensive converging interests. As a consistent supporter of international climate technology development, China has worked hard to intensify low-carbon technology R&D and international transfer and cooperation on climate technology. Through large-scale forums, sectoral studies, international exchanges and cooperation, China has built green technology communication and exchange platforms to attract, digest and absorb internationally advanced green technologies and accelerate industrial structural improvement and clean equipment upgrading, thus providing strong technological support for global actions on climate change. 

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Liu Zhenmin is China Special Envoy for Climate Change.