In the wake of widespread concern about Chinese President Xi Jinping's absence at the COP26 summit in Glasgow, China said on Tuesday that the conference organizers failed to provide him with a video link, forcing him to issue a written statement instead.
Xi, who did not attend the World Leaders Summit at the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change's (UNFCCC) 26th session in Glasgow, made a written statement outlining China's position on climate-related problems.
Xi Jinping's absence in COP26 Climat Summit sparks suspicion
He called on all nations to adopt "stronger actions" to collectively address the climate crisis in his written message to the COP26, and presented a three-pronged approach for attaining global consensus, focusing on tangible actions and speeding up the green transition to cut carbon emissions.
Xi's absence has also fuelled suspicion that he wants to avoid any closed-door discussions over China's carbon reduction targets, as per Republic World.
The absence of China's top leader, which is the world's second-largest emitter of greenhouse gases after the United States, has sparked questions about Beijing's climate commitment, despite official media reports that Beijing is attempting to link climate cooperation to improved ties with the United States.
China submitted its revised emissions reduction promise, known as Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs), to the United Nations on Thursday, ahead of the COP26 summit, which climate campaigners described as weak and said failed to boost China's ambition by much.
The statement has been amended to incorporate Xi Jinping's vow from September that China will attain peak carbon emissions by 2030 and achieve net-zero emissions by 2060.
Joe Biden chastises Xi Jinping, Vladimir Putin's absence in the event
"As far as I understand it, the conference organizers did not give the video link method," Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin said when asked why China's President preferred to deliver a written message, NDTV reported.
Since returning from an official visit to Myanmar in the middle of January 2020, Xi Jinping, 68, has not left China. Instead, he has been using video links to address world issues.
In addition to Xi Jinping, Russian President Vladimir Putin opted out of the crucial global climate summit, emphasizing the burgeoning China-Russia strategic partnership in contrast to the Biden-led US-EU coalition.
Per Sky News, President Joe Biden has slammed his Chinese and Russian colleagues, Xi Jinping and Vladimir Putin, for failing to attend the COP26 climate conference.
President Biden told reporters at the end of the second day of the climate summit in Glasgow that China had "walked away" on the most important subject of our time, and that President Xi's absence was a "big mistake."
The US president went on to criticize Russia for failing to adhere to aggressive climate targets. President Biden also said that by declining the invitation to the event, China had "lost influence."
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