As the Russia-Ukraine war has led to spikes in energy prices, energy security concerns will become more prominent in the short term. Whether the concerns will trigger a coal rebound has drawn extensive attention both in China and elsewhere.

On the whole, I would like to emphasize the following three points. Firstly, it is essential to strengthen our resolve to achieve carbon neutrality in China. We should send a very clear signal that addressing climate change and making the green transition are our unwavering goals. The transition will not be all plain sailing, but we should stick to the stated goals, avoid coal lock-in, and press ahead with decarbonized growth. Secondly, it is necessary to provide expectations for economic prosperity, and use the transition to foster a new growth engine and raise people’s living standards. Thirdly, we should facilitate technological innovations to address the climate crisis. We should make a big push toward the green transition of China’s energy mix and growth model, thereby fundamentally solving the problems in its economic transformation.

In addition, we should shift our strategy toward green innovation, which will drive the integration between climate change and economic growth goals, and the synergistic improvement in living standards, food security, and energy security.