China: Pact not prefect, but a huge step forward

Beijing: For China, the world’s biggest greenhouse gas emitter, the global climate accord reached in Paris marked a huge step toward greener growth that safeguards its sovereignty while falling short on funding for cleaner energy.

Xie Zhenhua, Beijing’s senior climate change envoy, said he welcomed what he described as a flawed agreement.

“This accord isn’t perfect,” Xie said. “There are parts of it that need to be improved. But this doesn’t affect the fact that history has taken a huge step forward, and so we are satisfied.

“It should provide a lot of impetus for China’s own green, low-carbon development and as we implement it, he added.