Xi halts new coal power projects outside China

By Riyaz ul Khaliq

ANKARA (AA) - President Xi Jinping on Tuesday put a stop to building new coal-fired power projects outside of China.

“We need to improve global environmental governance, actively respond to climate change and create a community of life for man and nature,” Xi told the 76th session of UN General Assembly via video link from Beijing.

“This requires tremendous hard work,” he said. “China will step up support for other developing countries in developing green and low-carbon energy."

Urging the world to take lessons from science on the coronavirus pandemic, he said Beijing will provide more vaccines to the world and international assistance and China will send 2 billion doses by the end of this year.

Characterizing vaccines as a “global public good,” Xi said priority should be to “ensure the fair and equitable distribution of vaccines globally.”

“We may employ such means as debt suspension and development aid to help developing countries, particularly vulnerable ones facing exceptional difficulties, with emphasis on addressing unbalanced and inadequate development among and within countries,” he said.

Xi proposed what he called a Global Development Initiative and told the General Assembly that China has pledged an additional $3 billion in international assistance in the next three years to support developing countries in responding to the pandemic and promoting economic and social recovery.

He encouraged putting “development high” on the agenda of the international community and policymakers and urged fostering global development partnerships.

He singled out military interventions in foreign lands. “They bring nothing,” Xi said, adding that the differences and problems between countries should be solved through dialogue and respect.

“One country’s success is not the failure of another country,” he said.

“We need to pursue dialogue over conflict and inclusiveness over exclusiveness,” he said, adding, “China will never bully another nor seek hegemony.”