Xi vows not to build coal-fired power projects abroad

UNITED NATIONS • Chinese President Xi Jinping said China would not build new coal-fired power projects abroad, using his address at the United Nations General Assembly to add to pledges to deal with climate change.

Mr Xi provided no details, but depending on how the policy is implemented, the move could significantly limit the financing of coal plants in the developing world.

China has been under heavy diplomatic pressure to put an end to its coal financing overseas because it could make it easier for the world to stay on course to meet the goals of the Paris Climate Agreement to reduce carbon emissions.

Mr Xi's announcement followed similar moves by South Korea and Japan earlier this year, and UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres and United States climate envoy John Kerry have urged China to follow the lead of its Asian counterparts.

"China will step up support for other developing countries in developing green and low-carbon energy, and will not build new coal-fired power projects abroad," Mr Xi said in his pre-recorded video address on Tuesday at the annual UN gathering, in which he stressed China's peaceful intentions in international relations.

Mr Kerry quickly welcomed Mr Xi's announcement, calling it a "great contribution" and a good beginning to efforts needed to achieve success at the 26th United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP26) to be held in Glasgow, Scotland, from Oct 31 to Nov 12.

"We've been talking to China for quite some period of time about this. And I'm absolutely delighted to hear that President Xi has made this important decision," Mr Kerry said in a statement.

COP26 president Alok Sharma also hailed the announcement.

"It is clear the writing is on the wall for coal power. I welcome President Xi's commitment to stop building new coal projects abroad - a key topic of my discussions during my visit to China," Mr Sharma said on Twitter.

In a measured speech, Mr Xi made no direct mention of China's often bitter rivalry with the United States, where the Biden administration has made policies on climate change mitigation a top priority and sought to cooperate with Beijing.

Mr Xi repeated pledges from last year that China would achieve a peak in carbon dioxide emissions before 2030 and carbon neutrality before 2060.

Some experts have criticised those targets as not ambitious enough, though it allowed Beijing to claim moral high ground on the issue after then US President Donald Trump, who had called climate change a "hoax", had withdrawn from the Paris Agreement.

China, the world's largest greenhouse gas emitter, is still heavily reliant on coal for its domestic energy needs.

One of Mr Biden's first moves after assuming office in January was to reassert US leadership on climate change and return the US to the Paris Agreement.

Mr Justin Guay, director of global climate strategy at the Sunrise Project, a group advocating for a global transition from coal and fossil fuels, said of Mr Xi's promise: "China was the last man standing. If there's no public finance of coal from China, there's little to no global coal expansion."

Mr Guterres welcomed both Mr Xi's move on coal and Mr Biden's pledge to work with the US Congress to double funds by 2024 to US$11.4 billion (S$15.4 billion) per year to help developing nations deal with climate change.

"Accelerating the global phase out of coal is the single most important step to keep the 1.5-degree goal of the Paris Agreement within reach," Mr Guterres said in a statement.

REUTERS