Xi warns against using climate change as ‘excuse for confrontation’
Beijing, Apr 16 (EFE).- Chinese President Xi Jinping Friday warned against using climate change as an excuse for geopolitical confrontations.
Xi spoke during a virtual summit on climate change with German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Emmanuel Macron, the official Global Times said.
In his remarks, the Chinese president said addressing climate change was a common task of all humanity.
But it “should not be used as an excuse for geopolitical confrontation, attacking other countries or imposing trade tariffs,” Xi said.
Climate change and the protection of biodiversity were on the top of the agenda of the virtual summit.
But the leaders also spoke about cooperation in battling the coronavirus pandemic and touched upon the ties between China and the European Union (EU).
Xi said his country would provide “a fair and non-discriminatory business environment for foreign investment companies” in China.
“We hope that the EU will treat Chinese companies with a positive attitude,” Xi noted.
Merkel said she was looking forward that the EU and China would soon implement the investment pact agreed upon last year after years of negotiations.
The three leaders also agreed that more efforts were needed to protect biodiversity.
The meeting was to prep for the virtual summit on climate change that US President Joe Biden has convened for Apr.22 and 23
Biden has invited 40 international leaders to relaunch negotiations ahead of the UN climate summit at the end of the year.
The majority of countries will have to commit to raising their pollutant emission reduction targets to comply with the Paris Agreement.
The agreement committed the signatories to limit the rise in global average temperatures this century to a maximum of two degrees Celsius and remain, if possible, at 1.5 degrees, which seems impossible with the current commitments.
The meeting coincided with a trip to China by the US special envoy for climate change, John Kerry.
No details were made public about the visit in preparing the ground for the climate summit. EFE
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