Chinese President Xi Jinping as sent his regards and congratulations to UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, for the Paris Agreement's official entry into force on November 4th.

The historic Paris Agreement to address climate change, first struck in December 2015, officially takes effect today. The treaty commits nearly 200 countries worldwide to a long-term goal of keeping the increase in global average temperature to well below 2 degrees above pre-industrial levels and to pursue efforts to limit the temperature increase to 1.5 degrees.

It is the first-ever universal, legally binding global climate deal. All the countries will pursue self-determined emissions targets, agreed upon before the last round of climate talks, from 2020 onwards. The national targets will be reviewed and strengthened every 5 years. The agreement also commits developed countries to provide continued and enhanced international support to developing countries.