Host China offers Pacific nations more climate change help in high-level talks
Beijing has pledged to expand its support for
Pacific Island countries in building climate resilience, and to continue law enforcement cooperation in the region, during high-level talks in the coastal city of Xiamen in southeastern China's Fujian province on Wednesday.
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Top diplomat
Wang Yi made the commitment, which included US$2 million for the climate change fund, at the third foreign ministers' meeting between China and Pacific Island states. It was also the first in-person gathering since the 2021 inaugural event.
The meeting – part of Beijing's continuing efforts to reinforce its outreach to the strategically important region – convened with foreign ministers and senior diplomats representing 11 of the 18 member states of the
Pacific Islands Forum.
According to a document released on Wednesday night after the meeting, China's US$2 million investment will be used to expand cooperation in renewable energy, agriculture, fishery, low-carbon infrastructure, and tourism.
Under a new climate change cooperation initiative, China will undertake 100 'small-and-beautiful' projects – a new model that shifts the focus of the Belt and Road Initiative from mega infrastructure to small and sustainable improvements in people's lives.
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These projects will set out to enhance the capability of Pacific Island nations to tackle climate-related hazards and the impacts of climate change, the document said.
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