Beijing – President of the European Council António Costa and President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen traveled to Beijing this week to meet Chinese President Xi Jinping and Premier Li Qiang for the 2025 EU-China Summit which ended today, producing a joint statement on climate.
Yao Zhe, Greenpeace East Asia Beijing-based global policy advisor, said:
“The EU and China remain climate partners despite tensions elsewhere. That’s some relief. The race for clean and green technologies is not a zero-sum competition. The EU and China need each other to speed up their own domestic transitions. And the world needs them to work together to tackle the global climate crisis. Their collaboration is a conduit to fortify multilateralism in the face of divisive nationalism.
“Moving forward, both sides need to get practical. Joint action can still offer solutions where deep collaboration is challenging. Both should demonstrate greater ambition in reducing emissions and transitioning away from fossil fuels. Their joint actions are necessary to accelerate the deployment of mature green technologies and the development of emerging solutions.
“How to leverage China’s clean tech manufacturing clearly remains a difficult question in the relationship. China’s ability to deliver financially viable climate solutions at scale will be critical to the global energy transition. But for the EU, preserving industrial competitiveness is also vital. Finding the right balance is key to future EU-China cooperation. But across any potential solutions, engagement remains a necessary step.”
ENDS
For media enquiries please contact:
August Rick, Greenpeace East Asia, Beijing, [email protected], +86 175 10404599
