On 19 November 2019, Mr. Zhang Yantong, Vice Chairman of the COSC, met with Mr. Zhang Xinsheng, President of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) and Dr. Grethel Aguilar, IUCN Acting Director General. The meeting was also attended by Shi Yinhong, Counsellor of the State Council, Zhang Hongtao, former Counsellor of the State Council, and Sun Weijia, Director-General of the Department of International Cooperation and Exchange of COSC.

Zhang commended the good work of IUCN, saying that the preservation of nature is a global priority and a pillar for building a community with a shared future for mankind and achieving harmony between man and nature. It has been high on the Chinese government agenda since the 18th National Congress of the CPC when the country committed to the goal of building “a beautiful China”. It is also a guiding principle of the Belt and Road Initiative. At the 19th CPC National Congress, the fight against pollution was made one of the three most important battles of the country.

The Chinese government has made tremendous efforts to implement the Convention on Biological Diversity and Paris Agreement. COSC is an active actor in this field, carrying out a key research project during the 13th five-year plan period on green and low-carbon development. It has taken part in five UN Climate Change Conferences and organized side events; it has also been working with the World Resources Institute in the US to co-host a high-level think tank seminar on energy and climate change, making significant contribution to promoting China’s green development and ecological protection.

Zhang Xinsheng briefed the Chinese colleagues on the work of the IUCN, particularly in supporting the Beijing Call for Biodiversity Conservation and Climate Change jointly released by President Xi Jinping and French President Emmanuel Macron and in such areas as ecological safety, climate change, and biodiversity. He also highlighted the topics to be covered by the World Conservation Congress the IUCN plans to hold in Marseille in France next June and COP 15 in Kunming in 2020.

Shi Yinhong and Zhang Hongtao exchanged ideas with IUCN experts on how to balance between growth and environmental protection and China’s “three red lines” in protecting the land space, namely ecological protection, permanent basic farmland, and respect for nature in urban development.

 Meeting with IUCN

Meeting with IUCN