Premier Li Keqiang attended the opening ceremony of the 2021 Taiyuan Energy Low-Carbon Development Forum via video link and delivered a keynote speech on Sept 3.

Kicking off the event, Premier Li said the Chinese government put a high premium on high-quality development of the energy sector and climate change, with the goal of peak carbon dioxide emissions before 2030 and to become carbon neutral before 2060.

China saw improving ecological and environmental quality in recent years amid efforts in pollution prevention, optimization of energy mix and industrial structure, and intensified moves to save energy and reduce emissions, the Premier said.

Recently, China launched its carbon emissions trading market, the world’s largest, he added.

As the COVID-19 pandemic is still ravaging around the world, coupled with emerging variants of the virus, instability and uncertainty are rising in the global economy and bring grave challenges to green and sustainable development, Premier Li said.

In this difficult time, all countries should work together closely to advance development while transitioning to a green future, the Premier said.

He stressed that advancing environmentally friendly energy use and achieving low-carbon energy transition should be done in a scientific and practical manner.

All countries, Premier Li said, on the basis of mutual respect, should make all-out efforts to transform energy consumption structure and way of production in a scientific and orderly way.

While controlling the overall amount, energy conservation should be prioritized, he said, adding that the ratio of non-fossil energy should be elevated in primary energy consumption.

To build a low-carbon society, cooperation on scientific research, technology transfer and results sharing should be strengthened, and green and low-carbon lifestyle and production should be promoted, the Premier said.

According to the Premier, global climate governance should be pushed forward based on nations’ historical responsibility and conditions.

Given the discrepancy between developed and developing nations on historical responsibility for tackling climate change, development needs and capacity, multilateralism should be upheld, with the principle of common but different responsibilities, Premier Li stressed.

He said that the concerns of developing nations should be high on the agenda, and support in technology, funds and capability should be ramped up to assist them in achieving green and low-carbon energy transition.

Policy coordination and structural reform should be enhanced, Premier Li said, in a joint effort to achieve balanced, green, and sustainable recovery.

Heavy pollution and high emissions should not be an option in post-epidemic recovery in all nations, as relations among economic development, ecological protection, and macro policies should be properly addressed, Premier Li said.

He added that more work should be done to coordinate macro policies, push forward structural reform, cultivate new drivers of growth for balanced, green, and sustainable recovery of the world economy at a lower cost.

China, Premier Li noted, as the largest developing country, is on the road to accomplish socialist modernization by the middle of the century, and bring an affluent lifestyle to the Chinese people in low-carbon and green development.

It is an undertaking unseen in human history, and requires arduous efforts, Premier Li said.

While implementing the new strategy on energy security, China will promote the reform in energy consumption supply, technology, and system, strengthen international cooperation, and work for energy transformation, he said.

With sound cross-cyclical adjustment of macro policies and faster moves to upgrade the industrial structure, China will strictly control sectors with high energy consumption and emissions, and develop environmental protection industries, to inject new vitality in the global recovery, Premier Li said.

President of Ethiopia Sahle-Work Zewde, Governor-General of Papua New Guinea Bob Dadae, Cambodian Prime Minister Samdech Techo Hun Sen, Prime Minister of Luxembourg Xavier Bettel, and Prime Minister of Sri Lanka Mahinda Rajapaksa also attended the forum via video link.

The forum is being held on Sept 3 and 4, with the theme of energy, climate, and the environment.