Germany’s economy minister Robert Habeck told reporters during his visit to China that Beijing needs to reduce its dependence on coal in order to cut carbon emissions.
“Cooperation with China must be strengthened because without it, it is impossible to meet global climate protection targets, while at the same time the country must find a secure alternative to coal as an energy source,” German Economy Minister Robert Habeck, who belongs to the Green party, said in Hangzhou, southern China, on Sunday.
Speaking to reporters in Hangzhou on Sunday after his visit to Beijing on Saturday, Habeck said finding an alternative to coal would not be easy, as last year, China produced almost 60 percent of its electricity from coal and Beijing wants to increase this proportion for security reasons. China now also uses large quantities of imported natural gas and oil to meet its energy needs, but it knows what the energy crisis caused by the war in Ukraine has meant for Europe, including Germany, over the last two years.
“They don’t need to be told that carbon emissions are bad for the climate because they know,” he said.
He pointed out that China, while increasing its use of coal, was also able to generate almost 350 gigawatts of energy from renewable sources last year, more than half of global production.
“The number of coal plants could be reduced by expanding the electricity grid and storing energy in batteries,” Habeck said.
“Economic growth and the fight against climate change are not mutually exclusive, and making the economy climate-neutral is not only good for the climate, but also creates new opportunities for prosperity and growth,” he added.
Concluding his visit to South Korea and China, Habeck said that EU countries must work together more than ever to compete economically with South Korea and China, but the EU must also work with Asian powers in parallel.
