French, German and Chinese leaders discuss steps to tackle climate issues
Multilateralism – Germany/China/environment/development/human rights – Video conference meeting between M. Emmanuel Macron, President of the Republic, Ms Angela Merkel, Chancellor of Germany, and Mr Xi Jinping, President of China – Communiqué issued by the Presidency of the Republic
Paris, 5 July 2021
As part of the preparations for forthcoming multilateral meetings, in particular the IUCN World Conservation Congress, COP15 in Kunming, COP26 in Glasgow and the G20 summit in Rome, the French President held a joint video conference today with the German Chancellor and the Chinese President.
After welcoming China’s ratification of the Kigali Amendment on HFC gases, President Emmanuel Macron and Chancellor Angela Merkel discussed with Chinese President Xi Jinping the concrete steps – in particular the end of funding for coal-fired power stations – needed to achieve the targets set for greenhouse gas emissions and carbon neutrality. They highlighted the importance of moving forward on China’s support for the High Ambition Coalition for Nature and People, a landmark initiative for biodiversity protection.
Following on from the Summit on the Financing of African Economies, the French President and the German Chancellor welcomed China’s pledge to help restructure vulnerable countries’ debt in the “Common Framework” agreed at the G20. It is now urgent to implement this initiative and make progress on reallocating the special drawing rights of the International Monetary Fund (IMF), with the aim of releasing $100 billion. In the area of health, the development of production capabilities for pharmaceutical products in Africa is now a priority, and work must continue in the multilateral framework of ACT-A.
President Emmanuel Macron and Chancellor Angela Merkel reaffirmed Europe’s expectations about access to the Chinese market and fair competition conditions. In the context of progress made on the vaccination campaign in Europe and China, air connectivity must also resume as soon as possible, with due respect for the reciprocity principle.
During the working meeting, the latest developments in Iran and in Myanmar/Burma were discussed. The French President and the German Chancellor expressed their serious concerns about the human rights situation in China and reiterated their demands regarding the fight against forced labour./.