Chinese premier urges G20 to strive for broader global cooperation for development

Chinese Premier Li Qiang appealed for efforts of the Group of 20 (G20) to strive for broader global cooperation to jointly cope with challenges and promote development.

Li made the remarks when attending the second and third sessions of the 20th G20 Summit scheduled for Saturday and Sunday in Johannesburg.

As multiple challenges such as climate change, energy and food crises are overlapping, the international community needs to unite to pool strength and solve problems through collaboration, Li said.

First, Li called on all parties to strengthen ecology and environmental protection cooperation, and enhance development resilience.

He called on G20 economies to abide by the science-based spirit and uphold the principle of common but differentiated responsibilities in dealing with issues concerning climate change and ecology.

With regard to cooperation in such fields, all parties should demonstrate responsibility and act promptly, he said.

China is willing to step up cooperation with all parties within the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework and accelerate the implementation of the outcomes of the 30th Conference of the Parties (COP30) of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, said the Chinese premier.

Secondly, Li urged efforts to strengthen cooperation on green energy and advance a just transition.

He called for promoting global cooperation in the green industry, keeping industrial and supply chains stable and unimpeded, and facilitating the free flow and application of related technologies and products.

China stands ready to continue to do its utmost to support the energy transition of various countries, he added.

Thirdly, he said cooperation on food security should be enhanced to ensure stable supplies.

Li called for optimizing global food circulation and supply, fostering partnerships on major commodities, developing an open, stable and sustainable global food market, and strengthening supply for countries facing food shortages.

At the same time, the Chinese premier called on the G20 to enhance cooperation in agricultural science and technology, so as to boost food production capacity.

China is ready to work with all parties to advance the implementation of the International Cooperation Initiative on Global Food Security and make new contributions to the fight against hunger and poverty, he said.

The new round of scientific and technological revolution and industrial transformation is accelerating, bringing unprecedented development opportunities to the world, but it may also create new inequalities and development gaps, Li said.

The G20 should encourage all parties to adhere to openness, win-win cooperation and shared opportunities, and strive to enhance the well-being of people worldwide, Li added.

The first is to promote the widespread application and effective governance of artificial intelligence (AI), Li said, calling on the G20 to actively promote research and development cooperation and result sharing, bridge the intelligence gap and improve governance rules.

China encourages more countries to join the World Artificial Intelligence Cooperation Organization and the action plan of international cooperation in open science, and to promote the healthy and orderly development of AI in a beneficial, safe and fair way, Li said.

The second is to promote mutually beneficial cooperation and peaceful utilization of critical minerals.

China supports the UN Secretary-General's Panel on Critical Energy Transition Minerals in playing a constructive role and calls for full implementation of the G20 Critical Minerals Framework, said Li, urging efforts to promote a more balanced distribution of benefits in production and supply chains, so as to better safeguard the interests of developing countries.

Meanwhile, Li urged a prudent approach to potential military and other applications to prevent security risks. He added that China encourages the active participation of all parties in the International Economic and Trade Cooperation Initiative on Green Mining and Minerals.

The third is to strengthen development empowerment and livelihood support for the Global South, Li said.

He urged efforts to support capacity-building assistance in Africa and other developing countries, create more job opportunities, and advance the development of women and youth.

The premier added that China stands ready to work with all parties to implement the G20 Nelson Mandela Bay Target, enabling more young people to benefit from economic globalization.

The summit adopted the G20 South Africa Summit: Leaders' Declaration.

During the summit, Li held friendly exchanges with French President Emmanuel Macron, President Lee Jae-myung of the ROK, Angolan President Joao Lourenco, Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez, WTO Director-General Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, and others.

Chinese premier urges G20 to strive for broader global cooperation for development

Chinese premier urges G20 to strive for broader global cooperation for development

Chinese premier urges G20 to strive for broader global cooperation for development

Chinese premier urges G20 to strive for broader global cooperation for development

Chinese premier urges G20 to strive for broader global cooperation for development

Chinese premier urges G20 to strive for broader global cooperation for development

The 10th China-Russia Expo opened on Sunday in Harbin, the provincial capital of Heilongjiang in northeast China, highlighting the resilience, vitality and mutual benefits of China-Russia economic ties.

Held from May 17 to 21, this year's expo covers a floor space of 55,000 square meters, with more than 1,500 companies from 46 countries and regions taking part. Nearly 300 Russian companies are attending, while over 5,000 buyers are expected.

Since 2014, the event has attracted more than 7,200 Chinese and Russian companies and over a million visitors.

The China-Russia Expo is the largest comprehensive exhibition platform between the two countries.

President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin each sent congratulatory letters to the event, encouraging all sectors from both countries to seize the opportunity, make full use of their geographical proximity and economic complementarity, and further expand all-round practical cooperation.

"Leaders of the two countries have signed agreements to deepen practical cooperation, which we fully support. Russia and China stand side by side for common development, benefiting young people and all people. Such cooperation is timely and far-reaching. We are here in Harbin for the China-Russia Expo, coming from Russia's Sakha Republic. Our region is dominated by agriculture. We are seeking advanced farming technologies including irrigation equipment and harvesters. We hope to reach deals in the coming days to boost local development," said Vasiliy Petrovich Alexeev, head of Ust-Aidan Region of the Russian Federation.

"We are greatly inspired by the congratulatory letters from the heads of state of China and Russia. We will keep building targeted and efficient cooperation platforms, and smooth channels for sub-national exchanges between China and Russia," said Chen Shijun, president of Heilongjiang Council for the Promotion of International Trade.

China-Russia trade volume has surpassed 200 billion U.S. dollars for three consecutive years. China has been Russia's largest trading partner for 16 years running.

In the first quarter of this year, bilateral trade volume hit 60 billion U.S. dollars, a year-on-year increase of more than 14 percent.

This year's Expo features eight major exhibition zones. Beyond the exhibition halls, Russian delegations have also conducted field visits to Chinese companies. A delegation from the Republic of Buryatia visited one of northeast China's largest building materials distribution centers to explore potential areas of cooperation.

"Regular China-Russia economic and trade events continuously bring fresh cooperation opportunities for both sides. This field trip to Xilong Building Materials Market has helped us explore more practical directions and modes for bilateral cooperation," said Alexei Tsydenov, head of the Republic of Buryatia of the Russian Federation.

"Relying on Buryatia's abundant mineral resources and sound logistics conditions, we plan to build industrial parks focusing on home building materials, mineral resources and energy sectors in Russia. We will introduce advanced Chinese technologies and management models to drive coordinated industrial upgrading between the two countries," said Wu Jinrong, vice president of Harbin Xilong International Trade and Logistics Park.

From everyday consumer goods to advanced helicopters, and from mineral resources to intelligent robotics, China-Russia cooperation now spans a wide range of sectors. Economic ties and people-to-people exchanges between the two countries continue to advance toward higher-quality development and broader prospects.

China-Russia Expo promotes trust, cooperation, mutual benefit