China hails 'hard-won' COP30 Global Mutirao decision

China has welcomed the Global Mutirao decision reached at this year's United Nations climate change conference in Belem, Brazil, describing it as a "hard-won" outcome that demonstrates solidarity in tackling climate change.

Li Gao, head of the Chinese delegation to the COP30 climate conference, made the remarks after the UN gathering concluded on Saturday afternoon — a day later than scheduled.

Parties have reached a series of outcomes in Belem, and the Global Mutirao decision, a title using the Brazilian hosts' term for collective action that covers climate mitigation, adaptation, finance and international cooperation, is the most important of all, said Li, who is also vice-minister of China's ecology and environment.

Reaching this significant agreement was truly hard-won, given the profound challenges to global climate governance posed by rising unilateralism, protectionism, and the United States' withdrawal from the landmark 2015 Paris Agreement, Li said.

"It demonstrates the strong political will of all parties to work together in solidarity to address climate change," he stressed.

It also reveals that the global transition to green and low-carbon development represents the world's prevailing trend, the direction of the times, and the common aspiration of people worldwide, he continued.

He stated that, following China's vigorous advocacy, the multilateral climate framework has for the first time integrated a mechanism to counter unilateral measures.

The Global Mutirao decision reaffirms that measures taken to combat climate change "should not constitute a means of arbitrary or unjustifiable discrimination or a disguised restriction on international trade."

China, in collaboration with other nations in the Global South, has also managed to secure more support from developed countries for climate adaptation funding, he said.

COP30 adopted a call to triple adaptation finance by 2035, though the timeline is five years longer than what developing nations expected.

Li recalled that when China announced its Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) in September, the country vowed to reduce economy-wide net greenhouse gas emissions by 7 percent to 10 percent from peak levels by 2035, striving to do better.

NDCs are climate pledges each party needs to update every five years under the Paris Agreement.

Li said the phrase "striving to do better" emerged as a popular slogan at the Belem summit and was finally included in the conference's key political document as a shared global objective.

The vice minister also highlighted the importance of the conference's outcome for the coming decade.

The timing of this conference is highly significant, as it coincides with the 10th anniversary of the Paris Agreement, the vice minister stressed. This pivotal moment compels parties to define the direction for the treaty's next decade.

In this context, he said the key political document adopted at COP30 sends a powerful political signal, affirming that the global transition to green and low-carbon development is irreversible, multilateralism is unshakable, and international cooperation must not be weakened.

He said that by achieving this outcome despite significant challenges, the conference has steered the Paris accord into its next decade of implementation.

"I believe this is a highly significant achievement — one worthy of being remembered as a milestone in the global multilateral climate process," he said.