The side event on the theme “China’s Path to Carbon Peak and Carbon Neutrality” was successfully held at the China Pavilion during COP31.

On the morning of November 10, Turkish local time, the side event “China’s Path to Carbon Peak and Carbon Neutrality,” hosted by the National Center for Energy Conservation and Carbon Reduction of the National Development and Reform Commission, was successfully held at the “China Corner” of the 31st Conference of the Parties (COP31) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change in Antalya, Turkey.

Wang Shancheng, Director-General of the Department of Environmental Protection and Resource Conservation of the National Development and Reform Commission; Xia Yingxian, Director-General of the Department of Climate Change of the Ministry of Ecology and Environment; Mohamed Temimour, Director of Implementation Coordination at the UNFCCC Secretariat, and other guests attended the event and delivered remarks.

The meeting noted that, under the scientific guidance of Xi Jinping’s Thought on Ecological Civilization, China has unswervingly pursued a path of ecological priority and green development, actively yet steadily advancing carbon peaking and carbon neutrality, and accelerating the comprehensive green transformation of economic and social development. Carbon emission intensity continues to decline, energy transition has achieved historic breakthroughs, and the share of non-fossil energy consumption has risen from 16.0% in 2020 to 21.7% in 2025. The “green content” of industrial development continues to increase, with the world’s largest and most complete new energy Industry / Supply chain established; energy efficiency in the industrial sector keeps improving, and unit energy consumption for key industrial products such as steel and cement has generally reached world-leading levels. Production and sales of new energy vehicles have ranked first globally for 11 consecutive years, and all newly built buildings fully comply with green building standards.

The Fifteenth Five-Year Plan period is the decisive phase for achieving carbon peaking. China will remain committed to its goal of reaching carbon peak before 2030, upholding green and low-carbon development. This not only injects stability and certainty into the global green transition but also provides valuable lessons for countries worldwide, especially developing nations, in simultaneously pursuing economic growth and green transformation. In the face of climate change as a global challenge, all parties should uphold multilateralism, adhere to the principle of common but differentiated responsibilities, consolidate political consensus on solidarity and cooperation, focus on implementing concrete actions, promote the deep integration of climate action into the implementation of the four major global initiatives, and build a global climate governance system that is fair, equitable, and based on win-win cooperation, so as to jointly address the challenges of climate change through pragmatic measures.

Officials from relevant departments and units of the Ministry of Ecology and Environment and the National Energy Administration, along with experts from the National Climate Change Expert Committee, attended the side event. The event also specially invited representatives from organizations including the United Nations Environment Programme, the United Nations Institute for Training and Research, the International Energy Agency, the German Energy Agency, and Indonesia’s State Electricity Company to participate and exchange views.

Through dialogue and exchanges with international organizations, this side event conveyed to the international community China’s confidence in achieving its “dual carbon” goals and fostered a shared consensus on cooperation to tackle global climate change. More than 100 representatives from relevant domestic and foreign institutions, social organizations, and the business sector attended the side event.

Source: National Platform for Promoting Energy Conservation and Carbon Reduction