Jakob Stausholm, chief executive of Rio Tinto, said the Chinese government has provided the certainty required for long-term planning with clear targets on climate change, as well as a stable regulatory environment for the company to operate.

"We are never going to know the future with certainty, but before we invest billions of dollars in transformative projects that will run for many decades, we need to be confident about the rules that will govern their operation, and the clear targets announced by President Xi are a good example of this," he said during the China Development Forum in Beijing on Sunday.

"If we know China will halt the rise of its carbon emissions by 2030 and strive for carbon neutrality by 2060, we can plan accordingly."

"As China's economy continues to grow, the standards set here will have more influence around the world, so we hope other countries will follow the ambitious lead with regard to sustainable development," he said.

To balance core activity in a way that ensures business has a net positive impact on society, the company is minimizing the environmental impact of operations while collaborating with partners and customers.

The company's products provide the foundation for many of the green technologies now being developed in China, with metals and minerals used to build batteries, wind turbines, solar panels and energy-efficient buildings. Partners, he said, including Tsinghua University and China Baowu Steel Group, are helping to drive China's green transformation.

Rio Tinto has reduced emissions by almost 40 percent over the past decade and aims for net zero carbon emissions by 2050.