China's envoy urges developed countries to 'make pie bigger' on climate finance

SHARM EL-SHEIKH, Egypt -- China's climate envoy on Monday urged developed countries to fulfill their promises and "make the pie bigger" on climate finance at the ongoing UN climate conference.

Xie Zhenhua, special representative for President Xi Jinping and China's special envoy for climate change, made the remarks at a high-level forum on South-South cooperation on climate change held at the 27th session of the Conference of Parties (COP27) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change at the China Pavilion in the Egyptian coastal city of Sharm El-Sheikh.

Xie noted in his address that developing countries are the principal victims of climate change, with insufficient adaptation ability and external support in the face of global warming.

"As a result, developing countries, in particular, need technical and financial support," Xie added.

On the one hand, China is urging developed countries to fulfill their pledges and "make the pie bigger" on climate finance, the envoy noted. On the other hand, China is helping developing countries improve their climate adaptation capabilities through South-South cooperation.

The fruit of China's South-South cooperation with other developing countries on climate change is "visible, tangible and effective," which are welcomed and highly praised by developing countries, Zhao Yingmin, head of the Chinese delegation to COP27, said at the forum.

Zhao, also vice minister of China's Ministry of Ecology and Environment, said as a developing nation and a major responsible country, China has always been an active advocate and pragmatic practitioner of South-South cooperation in the field of climate change.

"So far, China has signed 45 climate change cooperation documents with 38 developing countries, constructed three low-carbon demonstration areas, carried out 42 climate change mitigation and adaptation projects, held 45 offline and seven online training courses in China, and trained about 2,000 officials and technicians in the field of climate change for more than 120 developing countries," said Zhao.

During the forum, Simon Stiell, executive secretary of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, said South-South cooperation is essential to achieve the goals set by the Paris Agreement.

Through South-South cooperation, "we can build a more inclusive, resilient, and sustainable future," he noted.

Stiell spoke highly of the Chinese government's efforts to bolster South-South cooperation, especially the South-South Cooperation Assistance Fund established by China in partnership with the United Nations Development Programme to support recovery and reconstruction in several countries following extreme climate disasters.