Berlin, June 20 (BNA): The German Chancellor and the Chinese leader pledged to work together to combat climate change as they are among the largest emitters of carbon dioxide.
Chancellor Olaf Scholz and about half of his cabinet hosted a delegation led by Chinese Premier Li Qiang, on his first overseas trip since becoming China’s number two official in March, as the two countries held high-level government consultations for the seventh time, according to Reuters. mentioned.
The meeting in Berlin comes a day after Chinese President Xi Jinping met US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, signaling Beijing’s efforts to reach out to the West and improve frosty relations.
Germany is keen to maintain good relations with China, its largest trading partner, and the recently published German National Security Strategy describes China as a “partner, competitor and systemic competitor”.
Germany and China agreed at a meeting on Tuesday to establish a “dialogue on climate and transformation.” Schulz cited extreme weather events such as droughts in China and floods in Germany to illustrate the importance of the work.
In their agreement, the two sides pledged to work to achieve “practical results in the field of green and low-carbon development” that include combating emissions in the industrial, energy and transportation sectors. They also committed to helping each other improve energy efficiency, recycling and the development of emissions trading systems in both countries.
“As the largest emitters of carbon dioxide, Germany and China have a responsibility to combat climate change,” Schultz told reporters. We will face this responsibility together.”
“Dealing with climate change should become an important area of cooperation between the two sides,” Li said.
In his remarks, the Chinese premier emphasized trade and economic issues. “The disintegration of globalization is igniting again and the global economy lacks growth dynamics,” he said, according to one of the translators. “China attaches great importance to developing relations with Germany and Europe,” he added.
After visiting the largest economy in the European Union, Li traveled to France, the second largest country where he will attend the “New Global Finance Compact Summit”, which is being held at the initiative of French President Emmanuel Macron.
Scholz has said he wants to avoid over-reliance on Chinese trade and diversify Germany’s supply of key commodities, an approach he calls a “travesty”. He said he assured me that “we have no interest in economic decoupling from China.” The Group of Seven leading industrialized nations echoed this position last month.
“Access to the Chinese market and fair competition conditions for German and other foreign companies in China remain a challenge, and we are pushing for tangible improvements,” he noted.
During a joint appearance later at a German-Chinese economic forum, Scholz suggested that these improvements would also help combat climate change.
“For every country in the world, it will be easier to reach their climate goals if we allow for fair competition, access to open markets, and a level playing field,” he said. After all, competition fosters innovation.
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