22/09/2021 (Agence Europe) – On Tuesday 21 September, Chinese President Xi Jinping announced at the 76th session of the United Nations General Assembly that his country will not build new coal-fired power plants abroad. He did not, however, give a timetable for ending the financing of coal abroad. Calling the announcement, a “positive signal” ahead of COP26 in Glasgow, Belinda Schäpe, a climate diplomacy researcher for EU-China relations at the E3G think tank, nevertheless recalled that the country is still home to more than 50% of the world’s operating coal-fired power plants. Beijing should, therefore “set out a clear timeline to phase out coal power at home”, she said. The Chinese President also reaffirmed China’s intention to reach a peak in CO2 emissions by 2030 and to achieve carbon neutrality by 2060. (DG)