Hollande leaves Beijing with a pocket of vital agreements
- By Shafei M. Hali
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E-mail CRI, November 6, 2015
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Chinese President Xi Jinping (R) shakes hands with French President Francois Hollande at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, capital of China, Nov. 2, 2015. [Photo: Xinhua/Li Xueren] |
President Xi has been visiting various countries since last year and following the global financial crisis of 2008/09 the global economy has slowed down and it seems that President Xi is the only one holding a can of WD-40 in the form of China's "Belt and Road Initiative" and capital for trade; which can grease the jammed cogs of the world economy. This is the very reason why many global leaders have their sights set on China. China is emerging as major player in the world with its win-win trade agreements no country or its leader can deny the merits of this pragmatic model of boosting ties.
Following President Xi's Euro tour last year, French Prime Minister Manuel's official China visit earlier this year and Premier Li Keqiang's visit to France in June this year are all the right reasons for the French President Francois Hollande's recent state visit to China but the most important reason why Hollande came was because at the end of the month, Paris will be hosting a crucial meeting for the future of the planet involving Climate Change. Since both China and France are playing a major role in working towards achieving the goals for climate change, much was needed to be discussed beforehand to make the "climate conference," from November 30-December 11 a success. Cui Hongjian, a specialist in China-Europe relations at the China Institute of International Studies commented that, Hollande's visit to China "is part of his climate change diplomacy" through which France envisions itself as the bastion of addressing "Global Warming".
China is a very important country when it comes to the topic of "climate change". China is the fastest developing economy and also the world's second largest economy thus many mistake China's importance in the topic of "Climate Change" as a country amongst major polluters but the reality is inverse; China's importance has risen in the topic because of China's endeavors to enforce green policies, China has made multiple climate pledges to promote these green policies. These include a decision to launch a national carbon cap-and-trade system in 2017 to help contain emissions, establishing a 20-billion-yuan (3.1-billion-U.S.-dollar) fund to help other developing countries combat and adapt to climate change, and cutting carbon dioxide emissions per unit of gross domestic product (GDP) by 60 percent to 65 percent from the 2005 level by 2030. These are not mere pledges, the framework for all these measures is already set in place and this is why China is integral for the United Nations Conference on Climate Change," from November 30-December 11 and during the meeting with Hollande, President Xi said that "China is committed to ensuring the success of the climate conference." Hollande commended China's declaration by calling it a "major step" towards an agreement in Paris and termed his Beijing trip as "historic".
China's declaration on "Climate Change" was not the only matter which made Hollande's visit "historic," Hollande walked away from Beijing with 17 cooperative agreements which include special areas of cooperation like nuclear energy, aerospace, finance, cultural exchange and electricity.
