As leaders from across the world gathered online at a climate summit, Chinese President Xi Jinping on Thursday urged for joint efforts, raising a term for the first time: building "a community of life for man and nature."
According to the Chinese Foreign Ministry, the new slogan stresses the peaceful coexistence of humans and mother nature.
"That is the 'Chinese solution' for advancing global environmental governance with President Xi at a place where he's equally concerned about the future of people all over the world and their coming generations," said Ma Zhaoxu, China's Vice Foreign Minister.
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Beijing has made a crystal clear pledge: peak its CO2 emissions before 2030 and reach carbon neutrality before 2060. That goal has been set as one of the major priorities in China's 14th Five-Year Plan (2021-2025), a document that outlined the country's economic development in the period and beyond.
A cardboard with a slogan calling for environmental protection efforts is seen during a climate change demonstration in New York, U.S., September 20, 2019. /Xinhua
Specifically, energy consumption per unit of gross domestic product (GDP) and carbon dioxide emissions per unit of GDP will be reduced by 13.5 percent and 18 percent over the period, respectively.
Ma said the pledges to reduced emissions reflect upon the requirements of the Paris Agreement at "maximum strength," which demonstrates China's determination to address climate change.
Xi: Countries bear 'differentiated responsibilities' in environmental protection
In his Thursday speech at Leaders Summit on Climate, Xi also pointed out the principle of "common but differentiated responsibilities," meaning that countries should not be judged under the same standard but bear duties that match up with their own capabilities and requirements.
The Chinese leader once compared that to car racing. There were some cars already setting off a while, whereas some others just made their start, so it's inappropriate - and more importantly unfair - to limit the car speed under the same guideline, he said.
That does not mean that developing countries should not make contributions to climate change, but to work on the issue with measures that fit their own abilities, Xi elaborated.
Thursday's U.S.-initiated summit indicates that the world's two largest economies, also the two biggest greenhouse gas emitters, will continue their talks on further cooperation in tackling the climate crisis following the talks between U.S. climate envoy John Kerry and his Chinese counterpart Xie Zhenhua.
(CGTN's Feng Yilei contributes to this report.)