Timmermans in an interview with the media courtesy of the European Union
In early July, Frans Timmermans, Executive Vice President of the European Commission and Head of EU Climate Policy, returned to China for the fourth EU-China High-Level Dialogue on Environment and Climate, where he met with senior Chinese officials to discuss EU-China cooperation in the field of climate.
On July 4, just hours after the high-level dialogue ended, in the same room, Timmermans gave a small media interview, saying that the visit to China and the dialogue with Chinese officials were fruitful, and he hoped that China and the EU would continue to deepen practical cooperation in green industry, climate change and other fields, and jointly find solutions for a better survival of mankind.
In response to a question from The Paper (www.thehpaper.cn), Timmermans said that the climate issue urgently needs human cooperation to solve, and the EU and China can strengthen cooperation in the field of climate and play an important role in global climate governance.
Climate is the most important area for EU-China cooperation
Timmermans is a veteran EU official with long-term responsibility for the EU's Green New Deal. This visit to China follows the Third EU-China High-Level Dialogue on Environment and Climate in July last year. This EU-China High-Level Dialogue mechanism began in February 2021 and Timmermans has been the head of engagement on the EU side. He said that the trip hopes to continue to promote the deepening of EU-China climate cooperation and attach importance to bilateral relations with China.
Regarding the EU's relationship with China, Timmermans said: "We have differences, but we attach great importance to this relationship. He mentioned that the EU and China today clearly have different positions on Russia and Ukraine, but at the same time, as several visits have shown, the EU does not want this disagreement to close the door between the two sides.
Timmermans further said: "We want to continue to keep our doors open for important areas of cooperation. Clearly, the most important area in which the two sides want to strengthen cooperation is climate. Over the past two days, I have had fruitful discussions with a number of Chinese officials, including my good friend Special Envoy Xie Zhenhua, as well as Minister Huang Runqiu and Vice Premier Ding Xuexiang. ”
In an interview, Timmermans articulated his optimism on EU-China climate cooperation. "This time, I will go back with a lot of 'homework'. I hope that the EU and China will jointly prepare for the success of COP28. Working together between the EU and China may not guarantee a successful meeting, but at least it will have a chance of success. Since the Paris climate conference, China has played an important role in the success of the COP. I believe that China will continue to do so, and the EU will do its part to do its part. ”
Timmermans noted that the EU wants to strengthen climate cooperation with China in many areas, in particular by promoting technology transfer to ensure and accelerate the transition to renewable energy. "We look for common solutions and common challenges, such as building smart grids, developing new technologies, developing a hydrogen economy, and so on. It is important to develop a circular economy, as is the protection of nature and diversity. He said.
Timmermans believes that this visit to China has achieved a series of concrete results. The two sides are willing to "sit down and talk" and engage in an open and constructive dialogue, and decided to further strengthen existing exchanges on the ETS. "China is studying its own decision-making and development in this area, and I think this is also a good step forward."
The EU has taken advantage of the energy crisis to accelerate the transition
Before last year's European energy crisis, Europe was heavily dependent on Russian fossil fuels, with 40% of the EU's natural gas coming from Russia. Fossil fuels are the main source of greenhouse gases that contribute to climate change.
Timmermans told The Paper that compared with last year, the severity of the European energy crisis this year has been greatly reduced, so the EU is confident that it will solve the energy problem next year.
For example, he said, in less than a year, the EU has gradually reduced its dependence on Russian energy supplies in the energy crisis, the current energy price is only one-tenth of last August, and its dependence on Russian gas has fallen from 40% to less than 10%; In terms of energy efficiency, businesses and people in European countries have saved an average of more than 18% of energy in the past year, and in some countries even more than 20%.
Timmermans believes that the energy crisis is a warning to the EU that it must maintain the pace of transition to renewable energy. "We had no choice. We have very little coal and gas left, and we have very few oil reserves. So the EU needs to develop renewable energy sources to create and secure sovereignty in energy supply. I also believe that hydrogen will be the energy source of the future, allowing us to no longer depend on the energy resources of a limited number of countries. ”
Since the beginning of this year, the European Union has passed a series of bills such as the "New Battery Law" and the "Net Zero Industry Act", hoping to achieve further development in the field of green industries. In this regard, Timmermans also mentioned China's new energy automobile industry in an interview: "For the EU, the automotive industry is a key industry in Europe's industrial infrastructure, and we will make every effort to make this industry successful in the production of electric vehicles." Of course, China is leading the way in this regard, but we will do our best to catch up. He said.
Timmermans also points out that today, technology development is no longer a one-way street. "China is also developing technologies that the EU doesn't have. In terms of technical cooperation, the playing field has become more level. He believes that green industries could be a good area of cooperation between the EU and China, and there can be a lot of specific cooperation. For example, he pointed out that the EU can support the need for green hydrogen technology in some industrial sectors in China, and the two sides can strengthen technical cooperation.
In addition, Timmermans mentioned that the EU and China want to try to increase their cooperation on renewable energy and energy efficiency on a voluntary basis in the run-up to COP28. "China didn't announce it, but 48 gigawatts of solar energy were installed in the first 4 months of this year, which is staggering. It's the same in terms of energy efficiency, and China is doing a good job in this area, and in many areas of this industry, in some regions such as Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, etc., which we can learn from in the preparation for COP28. China is also willing to engage in such discussions. ”
Climate issues should transcend political differences
Before the official China-EU high-level talks, on the afternoon of July 3, Timmermans walked into the climate change lecture hall of Tsinghua University and delivered a keynote speech on "Fighting the Global Climate and Biodiversity Crisis Together". Xie Zhenhua, China's special envoy for climate change, presented a commemorative plaque to Timmermans at the event.
In his speech, Timmermans emphasized the seriousness of the climate crisis, pointing out that "climate change is happening" through disasters and problems caused by climate change, and that no political differences should prevent all of humanity from finding common solutions.
"Climate change and the climate crisis are neither a problem for Europe nor China, but we all live in the same sunshine and share the same atmosphere." Timmermans said. In his speech, he also mentioned that the world needs leadership in addressing climate change, and the EU and China have the ambition to address climate change and have made corresponding efforts.
"EU and China are willing to help each other. In the face of climate change, everyone will see droughts, extremely unstable weather, crop failures, floods and other events. This is a question of human survival that should transcend political differences. Timmermans stressed in an interview.
He also mentioned that even in times of tension like today's in the relationship between China and the United States, there is a strong willingness on both sides to cooperate on climate issues. "I hope that my friend, John Forbes Kerry, the U.S. Special Envoy for Climate Change, will soon visit China and discuss this issue," Timmermans said. He is a strong advocate of close cooperation with China on climate issues... Working together, the European Union, China, and the United States may be able to make some real progress in this area. It is also our collective responsibility, because the climate crisis is more important than any other political issue. ”
During Timmermans' visit to China, Beijing's successive heat warnings and the first time in Europe this year conveyed the urgency of addressing the climate problem.
Timmermans told The Paper: "The maximum temperature in Spain in April exceeded 40°C, which we have never experienced before, and now there are also 44°C high temperatures in some parts of Spain. Atlantic SST is 6°C higher than normal; Greenland's ice is melting rapidly; Glaciers in the Himalayas are disappearing. Therefore, we have reason to be very worried. Time is running out, but we can still solve the climate problem. But we can't be complacent, we can't say 'pause', we don't have to despair, it's too late to say anything. No, we still have a chance. ”
He continued, "To tackle climate change, we must join forces, we must accelerate action, and we must convince everyone. Although it is difficult and costly, we must do it. Otherwise, if things get out of hand, we will pay a greater price. ”