(September 3, 2016)

Distinguished President Barack Obama,

Distinguished UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon,

Ladies and gentlemen, dear friends,

Today we gather here beside the West Lake to witness the Deposit of Instruments of Joining the Paris Agreement of China and the United States, reaffirm our commitments and accelerate our action. This is a significant occasion.

Climate change concerns the well-being of all peoples and the future of the whole of humanity. The Paris Agreement reached at the end of last year was a milestone. It charts the course for post-2020 global cooperation in combating climate change, marking the emergence of a fair and sound global climate governance system featuring cooperation and benefits for all.

China has made a significant contribution to fighting climate change. The G20 issued the first Presidency Statement on Climate Change under China's initiative, and China took the lead in signing the Paris Agreement. As president of China, I am approving the Paris Agreement today based on the decision of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress of China. I will now deposit the instrument to the UN; this represents a new and solemn commitment on the part of the Chinese government.

China is the largest developing country, while the U.S. is the largest developed country. Our two countries have carried out highly effective dialogues and cooperation in addressing climate change, playing a key role in reaching the Paris Agreement. Just before the opening of the G20 Hangzhou Summit, the act of both countries in jointly depositing our instruments of joining the Paris Agreement shows our ambition and determination to work together on global issues, and will motivate other countries to take action, laying an important foundation for the early entry into force of the Paris Agreement. We will be glad to see China and the U.S. take the lead in completing the Peer Review Report on Fossil Fuel Subsidies under the framework of the G20, which is conducive to promoting economic structural reform and contributing to the global response to climate change challenges.

“To achieve great exploits, one must have both great ambition and the will to make tireless efforts.”[2] Taking the implementation of the Paris Agreement as an opportunity, the international community should redouble its ongoing efforts to effectively tackle climate change challenges.

——We should constantly enhance and improve the global governance system. The Paris Agreement makes it clear to us that tackling such global challenges as climate change will not succeed through the efforts of any single country, nor will it succeed in one day. Only through unity and cooperation can we pool our forces and effectively overcome the uncertainties brought about by the changes in the international political and economic environment. Only through perseverance can we build consensus and create the framework for an effective and lasting global solution. Only through discussion, cooperation, and sharing can we protect the Earth and build a community of shared future.

——We should take innovation-driven approaches to address climate change. Sustainable development demands a new global vision. The old ways no longer work, and innovation is the way to go forward. We need to make good use of new measures such as comprehensive observation of global change and big data, and deepen basic scientific research on climate change. We will accelerate innovation as a driving force, promote development through low-carbon economy, and transform the traditional mode of production and consumption. We will make breakthroughs in key technologies to support strategic emission reduction in energy,transportation, construction and other key sectors. We should strengthen the adaptability of vulnerable areas, and vigorously develop a climate-adaptive economy. Only when scientific and technological innovation breaks down the barriers of vested interests, can it effectively serve the whole of mankind.

——We should promote the early entry into force and a comprehensive implementation of the Paris Agreement. In September this year, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon convened a high-level meeting in the UN to encourage more countries to deposit instruments of joining the Paris Agreement. The Chinese government supports his action and will call upon G20 members to continue to play a leading role. We should adhere to the principles of common but differentiated responsibilities, fairness, and respective capabilities, and we should advance follow-up negotiations at a steady pace in accordance with the authorization of the Climate Change Conference in Paris. Developed countries should fulfill their commitments and provide financial and technological support to strengthen the capacity of developing countries in tackling climate change.

As a responsible, major developing country, China is an active participant in global climate governance. China has pledged to the world that its carbon dioxide emissions will peak by 2030, and it will strive to achieve this goal ahead of time. China will implement the concepts of innovative, balanced, green, open, and shared development. We will respect, conform to and protect nature. We will adhere to the basic national policies of resource conservation and environmental protection, and comprehensively advance energy conservation, emission reduction and low-carbon development. We will embrace a new age of ecological civilization.

Let us start again from Hangzhou to protect our green home and build a beautiful planet.

Thank you!

注释：

[1]Speech at the Deposit of Instruments of Joining the Paris Agreement.

[2]The Book of History(Shang Shu).