China, Brazil support multilateralism at COP30

Brazil and China are willing to defend the multilateral system, no matter in trade or in climate change, as they believe that it is the most effective way to solve international issues, COP30 President-Designate Andre Aranha Correa do Lago has said.

With the growing tendencies for protectionism, Correa do Lago told a news conference on Friday in Beijing that "we have to make sure that COP30 reinforces the idea that it is through multilateralism and dialogue that we are going to solve the issues between countries."

The veteran climate diplomat, who is in China for a five-day visit starting Monday, met with officials from the Ministry of Ecology and Environment, as well as Liu Zhenmin, China's special envoy for climate change, to discuss the challenges that countries are facing regarding climate change and expectations about COP30.

The COP30 annual global climate summit is scheduled to be held in Brazil in November. According to Correa do Lago, finance and technology will be central topics in the discussions.

In preparation for COP30, he hopes to bring to most countries the conviction that fighting climate change can be economically viable and extremely positive.

China is an example of this, he said, explaining that the country has concentrated on developing technologies and products that help fight climate change, bringing positive economic results like electric vehicles and solar panels.

China will have many positive inputs for the COP, as it demonstrates that investing in climate-related areas can bring excellent results for the economy and people's livelihood, he said.

Correa do Lago also considered China a central player in climate negotiations, and said that Brazil and China have been working closely for many years, including in bilateral and multilateral frameworks such as BRICS.

"China and Brazil have strong and similar views about the negotiations. We both not only believe that we have to strengthen multilateralism, but also have to follow the rules of these negotiations."

As COP president, he said "We are going to consult with all countries to make sure that we have a result that strengthens the regime of climate change under the United Nations."

Correa do Lago also hopes the conference will bring answers and solutions for a world that is more conscious that climate change, which is a great threat to populations and to the economy, is accelerating.

"As president, we will make sure that we can reach consensus on some very important issues that are going to be raised at the conference," he added.