Foreign news

China reiterates climate change commitments, says efforts underway

Published

5 years ago

April 24, 2021

China, the world’s largest developing country, has reaffirmed that its CO2 emissions will peak before 2030 and carbon neutrality will be achieved before 2060.

The promise was reiterated by President Xi Jinping at Thursday’s Leaders Summit on Climate, an important juncture in the global climate political process before the 26th UN Climate Change Conference of the Parties set for Glasgow, UK in November.

“China has made cooperation in ecological civilization a priority of joint building Belt and Road and promoted a series of green initiatives,” the president noted, adding that China will hold the 15th meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity in October.

Xi told other world leaders at the summit that concrete action was already being taken. “China has integrated the goal into the ecological civilization construction and an action plan for hitting the peak of carbon emissions by 2030 is underway.”

“During the 14th Five-Year Plan (2021-2025) period, we will strictly control the growth of coal consumption and gradually curb the consumption during the 15th Five-Year Plan period,” he added.

Coal-fired power remains a major energy source in China, and the country has vowed to bring the share of coal in total energy consumption to under 56 percent in 2021.

The 14th Five-Year Plan, a key policy document that will heavily influence the nation’s economic development in the next decade and beyond, outlined that 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, respectively, during the period.

During China’s annual Central Economic Work Conference held at the end of 2020, reducing carbon emissions was listed as one of China’s eight key tasks to focus on in 2021.

Meanwhile, Xi noted that these are no easy tasks. “China’s commitment is much shorter than that of developed countries.”

The low-carbon commitment, it is estimated, requires China to make the transition from reaching its carbon peak to realizing carbon neutrality within 30 years, compared with the 60 years taken by most developed countries in the world.

He stressed that countries should honor promises on addressing climate change.

The Copenhagen Summit in 2009 set China’s 2020 target of non-fossil energy consumption at 15 percent and entailed a 40 to 45 percent reduction of carbon intensity compared to 2005.

China’s statistics for 2019 are 15.3 percent and 48.1 percent, respectively, meaning the country exceeded and fulfilled the set targets ahead of schedule.

Compared with 2005, greenhouse emissions per unit of GDP had dropped 48 percent by 2019 in China, according to the Ministry of Ecology and Environment, achieving ahead of schedule China’s commitment to the 2020 targets.

Global cooperation vital

Xi also stressed the importance of global cooperation, calling for the international community to work together, instead of resorting to mutual accusation; to keep promises, instead of going back on them.

The president warned against fragmented and palliative approaches in conserving ecological environment.

Welcoming the returning of the United States to the multilateral governance on climate change, Xi said that China is looking forward to working with the international society, including the U.S., to advance global environmental governance.

Developed countries should make concrete efforts to help developing countries improve their abilities to cope with climate change, he added, stressing the principle of common but differentiated responsibilities in the process.

Xi has repeatedly stressed the importance of upholding multilateralism, unity and cooperation to tackle climate change.

China and European countries have been working closely on the global fight against climate change, after former U.S.

President Donald Trump announced in November 2019 to quit the Paris climate change agreement, which took effect one year later.

(At the invitation of U.S. President Joe Biden, Chinese President Xi Jinping attends the Leaders Summit on Climate via video link and delivers a speech titled “For Man and Nature: Building a Community of Life Together” in Beijing, China, April 22, 2021. /Xinhua)

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Foreign news

Court of Arbitration Declares Indus Waters Treaty Fully Operational Rejects India’s ‘Abeyance’

Published

1 month ago

August 31, 2026

The Gleamer

Cyril Ogar

The Court of Arbitration has unanimously reaffirmed that the Indus Waters Treaty (IWT) remains fully in force, ruling that India cannot unilaterally place the 1960 agreement in “abeyance” or suspend its obligations under the treaty.

The decision represents a significant legal development in the longstanding dispute between India and Pakistan over the management and use of the Indus river system.

The Court’s finding addresses a fundamental issue at the heart of the dispute: whether either party can unilaterally suspend the treaty outside the legal framework agreed by both countries.

In its unanimous determination, the Court made clear that the IWT continues to bind both India and Pakistan and that its obligations cannot be set aside through a unilateral political declaration.

The ruling means India remains subject to the treaty provisions governing the use of the Western Rivers, including requirements relating to the design and operation of hydroelectric projects, as well as the dispute-resolution mechanisms established under the agreement.

The Court has also ordered interim measures concerning the Ratle Hydroelectric Plant, restricting specified construction activities while the broader dispute remains under consideration.

The measures are aimed at preserving the effectiveness of the arbitration process and preventing developments that could prejudice the outcome of the proceedings.

For Pakistan, the decision represents significant legal validation of its longstanding position that the IWT is a binding international agreement and contains no provision allowing either party to unilaterally place it in abeyance.

Pakistan has consistently maintained that disagreements over the treaty should be addressed through the institutional mechanisms established by the agreement, rather than through unilateral action.

The IWT provides a structured framework for resolving disputes through mechanisms including the Permanent Indus Commission, Neutral Expert and Court of Arbitration processes.

The latest ruling therefore reinforces the principle that treaty obligations cannot simply be disregarded because of deteriorating political relations between signatories.

The significance of the decision extends beyond the India-Pakistan dispute. It underscores the broader international-law principle that agreements governing shared rivers and other transboundary resources must be respected and disputes resolved through established legal and institutional channels.

The Indus river system supports agriculture, livelihoods, food security and communities across the region, making the stability of the treaty particularly important.

The ruling also highlights the distinction between seeking to amend an international agreement through mutually agreed procedures and attempting to alter its obligations unilaterally.

The IWT has endured wars, prolonged diplomatic tensions and periods of limited bilateral engagement. Its continued operation demonstrates the importance of rules-based mechanisms in managing shared resources when relations between neighbouring states become strained.

For Pakistan, the outcome provides an opportunity to frame the decision not merely as a bilateral legal victory, but as an affirmation of international law, treaty compliance and peaceful dispute resolution.

The central message from the ruling is clear: the Indus Waters Treaty remains in force, its obligations continue to bind both parties, and disputes concerning shared waters must be addressed through the legal mechanisms agreed by India and Pakistan.

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