Premier Li Keqiang, Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte, and Ban Ki-moon, former secretary-general of the United Nations, attended the inauguration ceremony of the Global Center on Adaptation China Office, at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing on June 27.

Seventeen countries, including the Netherlands and China, jointly initiated the Commission on Global Adaptation in 2018, aimed at enhancing the international community’s adaptation to climate change, and strengthening partnerships to assist climate-vulnerable countries to achieve sustainable development.

The Global Center on Adaptation is the executive body of the commission.

The Premier said coping with climate change is not only a consensus of the international community, but also is needed to transform and upgrade the Chinese economy.

As the biggest developing country in the world, China has always focused on economic development while paying attention to improving people’s livelihood, and will make continuing efforts to obtain modernization, he said.

He added that China is actively responding to climate change through implementing State strategies in accordance with its national conditions, and will continue to fulfill its international responsibilities and obligations, and provide assistance as much as possible under the South-South cooperation framework for other developing countries, especially small island countries.

Multilateralism is a must in fighting climate change, the Premier said, adding that international cooperation should be enhanced. While trying to alleviate climate change, developed countries should provide capital and technologies to help developing countries adapt to the changes in order to implement the Paris Agreement together.

Rutte said the Netherlands and China have had good cooperation in dealing with climate change. The Netherlands is willing to join China in enhancing cooperation with the Global Commission on Adaptation, promoting exchanges in experience and technologies among countries, and making more efforts to fight climate change.

For his part, Ban said climate change does not have national boundaries. Only through global cooperation and joint efforts can the future for all countries be protected. The Global Center on Adaptation will continue cooperating with governmental, social and private departments from different countries to form a concerted force to achieve sustainable development.

The Global Commission on Adaptation is led by Ban Ki-moon, and Minister of Ecology and Environment Li Ganjie is commissioner on the Chinese side.