Speech by Chinese Ambassador to Sweden Zhou Limin at the Forum on Steps toward a Universal Ecological Civilization

Distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen:

Good day to you all!

It is a great pleasure to gather with you here in Tällberg to jointly discuss how we can advance toward a global ecological civilization. Today, I would like to share with you a topic on the green foundation of Chinese modernization and its global opportunities.

I. Our Philosophy: From Ancient Wisdom to Xi Jinping Thought on Ecological Civilization

Chinese civilization has long revered the principles of "unity of humanity and nature", "taking from nature with moderation", and "following the laws of nature". This profound philosophical thinking has evolved into the Xi Jinping Thought on Ecological Civilization for the new era. The thought is not only a creative transformation and innovative development of China's fine traditional culture but also the fundamental guideline for advancing China's ecological civilization construction. The idea that "lucid waters and lush mountains are invaluable assets", put forward by President Xi Jinping, breaks the traditional dichotomy between the environment and the economy, and establishes the scientific assertion that protecting the ecological environment means protecting productive forces.

Building on this, China has made the highly ambitious "Dual Carbon" pledges, aiming to peak carbon emissions before 2030 and achieve carbon neutrality before 2060. This is not only China's solemn commitment to global climate governance but also an inherent requirement of Chinese modernization. The modernization we pursue is one in which humanity and nature coexist in harmony. This means we must fundamentally reverse the traditional extensive growth model and embark on a new path of civilized and sustainable development characterized by robust production, affluent living, and a healthy ecological environment.

II. Our System: Building a Green Safeguard through the Rule of Law and Performance Evaluation

The implementation of ideas requires strong institutional constraints. To achieve the "Dual Carbon" goals, China has established the world's most rigorous green governance system. From the rollout of the "1+N" policy framework for carbon peaking and carbon neutrality, to the explicit inclusion of carbon intensity reduction targets in the 2026 Government Work Report, and further to the official implementation of the Ecological and Environmental Code and the establishment of evaluation and assessment methods for the "Dual Carbon" goals, China has solidified the foundation for green development through institutions and laws.

In March of this year, the Fourth Session of the 14th National People's Congress voted to adopt the Ecological and Environmental Code of the People's Republic of China. It established the strictest ecological and environmental protection system, making the principle that "the environment has value, and damage entails liability" a universal consensus across society, and providing an indestructible legal shield for green development.

In April, China innovatively established evaluation and assessment methods for the "Dual Carbon" goals, incorporating key indicators such as carbon emission intensity and total energy consumption into the performance evaluation system for governments and officials at all levels. This ensures that officials at every level truly shoulder the responsibility for and actively advance the green and low-carbon transition.

Furthermore, by continuously improving the national carbon market, promoting green certificate trading, and establishing standards for carbon footprint accounting, China has not only provided clear price signals for emission reduction, but has also actively aligned with and participated in the formulation of global green trade rules.

III. Our Actions: A Broad and Profound Green Revolution

Guided by our philosophy and safeguarded by our institutions, China has, over the past decade, driven a green revolution with unprecedented resolve and intensity, achieving globally remarkable accomplishments.

In terms of environmental governance, China has launched critical battles to defend blue skies, clear waters, and clean land.

Today, China's average PM2.5 concentration has dropped by over 60% from its historical peak, making it the country with the fastest improvement in air quality globally. The proportion of high-quality surface water nationwide has reached 91.4%, and black and malodorous water bodies have been basically eliminated. Our green landscape continues to expand, with forest coverage exceeding 25% and the area of planted forests consistently ranking first in the world. Significant progress has been made in biodiversity conservation; populations of rare species such as giant pandas, snow leopards, and Tibetan antelopes have notably recovered, and over 300 endangered plant species have been successfully reintroduced into the wild.

In terms of green transition, China is accelerating the construction of an economic system for green, low-carbon, and circular development. China's production and sales of new energy vehicles (NEVs) have ranked first globally for ten consecutive years. In 2025, both the production and sales of NEVs in China exceeded 34 million units, with the domestic market share of new NEV sales surpassing 50%. More than half of the world's NEVs are driving on Chinese roads. China has established the world's largest clean power generation system. By the end of 2025, the installed capacity of renewable energy accounted for over 60%, with hydropower, wind power, and photovoltaic (PV) capacity all ranking first globally. China has also built the world's most complete clean energy industry chain, supplying over 80% of the world's PV modules and 70% of wind power equipment, significantly reducing the cost of the global green transition.

IV. Our Invitation: Joining Hands to Create a Future of Green Prosperity

Ladies and gentlemen, friends!

Addressing climate change and protecting the ecological environment are global challenges that require all countries and parties to stand together and make concerted efforts.

China has always been a participant, contributor, and leader in building global ecological civilization. We actively fulfill the Paris Agreement, have made solemn "Dual Carbon" pledges, and updated our Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) in 2025, setting absolute emission reduction targets for the first time. As the presidency, we successfully facilitated the adoption of the "Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework" and took the lead in action, with the Kunming Biodiversity Fund now fully operational. Chinese scientists spearheaded the "International Great Science Program on Ocean Negative Carbon Emissions (ONCE)", attracting participation from 79 teams across 33 countries. Under the framework of the Green Belt and Road Initiative, we have engaged in green energy project cooperation with over 100 countries and regions.

China's green transition not only injects momentum into global environmental governance but also creates vast market opportunities and space for technological cooperation, offering opportunities for Sweden, Europe, and the world. China-Sweden and China-EU cooperation enjoy a solid foundation, strong industrial and technological complementarity, and broad prospects for cooperation in green development. In promoting cooperation between China and Sweden in ecological civilization construction and sustainable development, the Aurora Borealis Foundation has played a vital role through its profound insights and rich experience. We hope it will further serve as an important bridge, establish a broader and more inclusive platform for exchange, and become a global advocate for advancing ecological civilization.

Dear friends, green development is not a zero-sum game, but a shared endeavor of all humanity. China stands ready to work with all parties to translate our consensus on cooperation into concrete actions. Let us jointly promote collaborative R&D and the open sharing of technologies, foster green cultural exchanges and green industrial collaboration, advance green market development and green finance cooperation, and together build a clean, beautiful, and prosperous world!

Thank you!