Full coverage: G20 Hangzhou Summit

United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon will join major world leaders at the G20 summit in China’s eastern city of Hangzhou. Ban spoke highly of China’s sustainable development and climate change policies.

Speaking to Chinese media at the U.N.’s headquarters, Ban praised China’s efforts to make the G20 summit much more inclusive. China has invited a record number of developing countries to Hangzhou. They are Laos, Kazakhstan, Senegal, Chad and Egypt. This ensures that the voices of developing countries are heard.
 
“China’s leadership steered the debate to facilitate the G20 to move from a short-term financial crisis management to a long-term development perspective,” Ban said.

Ban says he is impressed with China’s efforts to fight climate change. This year’s summit will be the first time that G20 leaders discuss both sustainable development goals and climate change.  

“Climate change is one part of sustainable development goals, and it is a very important process where we have had different negotiating process, therefore, this sustainable development goals and climate change should go together in parallel, in that regard, Chinese leadership on G20 is taking place at the first year,” he said.

Ban says China’s commitment to the Paris climate agreement sets a good example for the rest of the world.

“I’m very much grateful that Chinese leadership, President Xi, has already declared that strong commitment that China will ratify on the occasion of G20,” he said.

“That is very encouraging news. I hope many countries, particularly those G20 countries will emulate, follow the route of China’s leadership.”

The summit aims to make the global economy more “creative, vibrant, connected and inclusive.” Ban says this is in line with the U.N.’s goal of promoting sustainable development around the world.