China highlights green development at G20 Summit

Editor's note: The writer is the Founder of Friends of Belt and Road Forum. The article reflects the author's opinions and not necessarily the views of Gwadar Pro.

President Xi Jinping made important policy remarks at the recently held G20 intergovernmental forum, presenting China's standpoint on climate change, sustainable development, and energy.  Rome hosted the 16th G20 Summit with the theme “Planet, People and Prosperity” where leaders from across the globe leading the global economic development made their presences. The participants of the Summit include representatives from international organizations where there has been a call to work together on climate-related matters. President Xi Jinping has delivered this important speech at the opening session. The most pressing point of his deliberations was the call for ‘action’ at the right time and in the right direction for desired results from the world.

While highlighting the important steps by China on contributing and committing towards resolving the global climate-related challenges, President Xi Jinping emphasized the need for balanced and comprehensive policies from the world leaders. Especially to implement the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change and the Paris Agreement, there is a need for collective actions. China is supporting the developing countries in building their capacities to implement advanced technologies through knowledge and experience sharing. This will help a comprehensive response from all under the sun resolve the issues of the world.

One of the important aspects of President Xi's remarks is about China's effort in pandemic control and global development. There was also a reminder for world leaders about their responsibility to steer the world towards sustainable development by maintaining strict pandemic control measures and defying the politics on the pandemic.

 President Xi proposed that a public-centric approach is required for sustainable development through equitable resource distribution, effective, efficient, and inclusive management.  President Xi Jinping emphasized collective action to make people prosper, planet safe and prosperity durable. 

President Xi called on global leaders to acknowledge the fragile economy and suffering humanity worldwide and urged them to take adequate actions towards the shared future of mankind through the welfare of people, inclusiveness, multilateralism, and win-win cooperation. No one in this world is safe on its own in the face of the pandemic and it requires collective preventive actions.

The international community must make concerted efforts to scientifically mitigate the effects of the pandemic by enhancing cooperation on prevention, control, diagnosis, and treatment. Being the world's leading economies, it became the default opportunity of the leaders to take steps.

At this important forum, President Xi proposed steps to prevent and contain the pandemic. The foremost is the cooperation in the Research and Development of vaccines in partnership with private companies to elevate scientific research culture. Secondly, the vaccine-producing countries should ensure an equitable and just distribution of vaccines, especially to developing countries. Thirdly, the World Trade Organization should give a waiver of Intellectual Property Rights to vaccine-producing companies to include developing countries in the production line. Fourth, major states should liberate the trading regime of raw and auxiliary materials for vaccine production.

Apart from these, President Xi further proposed that the world needs to treat all vaccines equally without prejudice even in the World Health Organization’s Emergency Use Listing. Last but not the least, the international community must extend financial cooperation to developing states to access vaccines in required numbers. These steps are akin to an inclusive world unified in approach in pandemic prevention without geopolitical prejudice to serve any interests but global health. 

As the world is marred with immense challenges, especially growing disparities, challenges of hunger, pandemic, and economic duress, there is a need to have openness, inclusiveness, and win-win cooperation based on true multilateral ideals. Without this, there can't be a world where we have peace, stability, and prosperity. For a shared future for mankind, we all have to shun all differences, avoid being involved in the blame game and build this planet a better place.