Joint efforts in climate change fight 'critical' for mankind

World leaders should work together to fight climate change, State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi said on Monday, as he reinforced China's commitment to sustainable development and to lead international cooperation.

"To jointly tackle this challenge and to protect the planet we all call home will be a journey critical to the future and destiny of mankind," Wang, as President Xi Jinping's special representative, told world leaders at the United Nations Climate Action Summit.

Climate change is a common challenge facing all countries, Wang said, adding, "We must have the confidence to win, the perseverance to act and the sincerity to cooperate."

Stressing the importance of multilateralism, he urged nations to honor commitments taken in 2015 in the UN Paris climate agreement, adding, "The withdrawal of certain parties will not shake the collective will of the international community nor will it possibly reverse the historical trend of international cooperation."

Wang also highlighted China's efforts in tackling the climate change issue at home.

In 2018, China's carbon dioxide emissions per unit of GDP dropped by 45.8 percent-a reduction of 5.26 billion tons of carbon dioxide emissions-from the 2005 level, beating the annual target, he said.

Wang said that the share of nonfossil fuels in primary energy consumption reached 14.2 percent in China last year, and the forest stock breadth-standing volume of living trees in woodlands-increased by 4.56 billion cubic meters from 2005.

Last year, China saw an increase of 1.25 million new energy vehicles, outnumbering those of many other countries in the world, he added.

He added that China will also adhere to co-building a green Belt and Road and pool more resources to promote international cooperation addressing climate change.

Chen Yingqun contributed to this story.