Clear message

Dimitri de Boer, a special adviser to the China Council for International Cooperation on Environment and Development, said the NEA was one of the first ministry-level departments to receive an environmental inspection.

"It reflects the strong emphasis China's leadership is placing on climate action, and integrating environmental considerations into broader government decisions," he said.

It is commendable that the "very powerful tool" of environmental inspection is being used to accelerate climate transition, he said.

He Jiankun, vice-chairman of the National Committee of Experts on Climate Change, said the country urgently needs to establish effective supervision and performance appraisal systems to address the rebound in demand for fossil fuels. This was a result of local governments expanding coal-fired power generation, as well as production levels in the steel and petrochemical sectors, He said.

"President Xi Jinping has repeatedly stressed that China will unswervingly fulfill its targets and fully honor its commitments," he said. "This has sent a clear message that will chart the course for the development of enterprises and industries."

He said that because of the 2030 and 2060 targets, the expansion of projects with high energy consumption will be curbed during the five-year plan.

China has to rush to achieve in just 30 years what developed countries have 45 to 70 years to do, presenting a greater challenge for the nation to reach carbon neutrality, according to experts.

But as Xi said while addressing the 12th BRICS summit via video link on Nov 17, "You can count on China to keep its promise."