To Jointly Work Toward a More Resilient Pacific
Mr. Sefanaia Nawadra, Director General of SPREP,
Ladies and gentlemen,
Talofa lava.
Today, on behalf of the Chinese Government, I am very pleased to present a donation of US$200,000.00 to the Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme (SPREP).
As an important environmental protection organization in the region, SPREP plays an important role in coordinating regional efforts to protect the environment and address climate change. The Chinese government has been providing annual financial support to SPREP since 1998 and has provided a total of 1 million USD in support to SPREP over the past five years.
At the just concluded 53rd Pacific Islands Forum, Mr. Qian Bo, Special Envoy of the Chinese Government on Pacific Island Affairs, announced that China provides US$200,000 in funding support to SPREP this year. This again demonstrates our sincerity and determination to help Pacific Island countries cope with climate change and achieve sustainable development.
China attaches great importance to ecological progress and climate and environmental governance and has always taken tackling climate change as an important strategy for national development. We have exceeded our 2020 climate action targets ahead of schedule and are on track to achieve carbon peak by 2030 and carbon neutrality by 2060. We say it and mean it, unlike some other countries.
In July 2024, the Third Plenary Session of the 20th Communist Party of China Central Committee put forward a number of measures to deepen the reform of the ecological civilization system from the three aspects: "improving the basic systems for ecological conservation", "improving the environmental governance systems", and "improving the mechanisms for green and low-carbon development". The Session also emphasised the comprehensive green transformation of economic and social development. The implementation of these measures will provide strong support for the ecological civilization in China and the whole world.
The Communique of the Session is a solemn commitment of the CPC and the Chinese people, which not only demonstrates our firm determination to promote green and low-carbon development, but also reflects China's responsibility for global climate governance.
We all are aware that climate change is a common challenge faced by mankind and requires concerted efforts by the international community. Out of the 20 most vulnerable regions to climate change globally, 16 are in China, according to Australian research. Climate change and resilience were recognized top priorities for the region at the 53rd PIF meeting in Tonga.
China understands the special difficulties Pacific Island countries face in addressing climate change and has always been supporting them in strengthening regional cooperation and making themselves the "voice of the Pacific" in the multilateral process of climate change.
Under the framework of South-South cooperation, China will continue to provide assistance within its capacity to help Pacific Island countries enhance their capacity dealing with climate change, and jointly with Pacific Island countries inject positive energy into the global response to climate change.
Finally, I would like to commend SPREP for its contribution to environmental protection and the fight against climate change in the region. We look forward to further strengthening cooperation with SPREP and Pacific Island countries, working together to implement the Blue Pacific 2050 Strategy with concrete actions, and building an even closer China-Pacific Island countries community with a shared future.
I also hope that Pacific Island countries and SPREP work more closely with and make full use of China-Pacific Climate Change Cooperation Centre, which is a platform set to play an increasingly important role in our future cooperation in climate action.
For our shared future, we need to work harder, together.
Thank you!