Veteran official leading China's delegation

'There is no time to waste in dealing with the risks of climate change'

This is the 9th year in which veteran climate official Xie Zhenhua has led the Chinese delegation to the United Nations Climate Change Conference, and it is quite a special one.

Xie Zhenhua, special representative on climate change issues

Negotiators always say the devil is in the details. Their mission in Paris is to remove all the square brackets that include things they don't agree upon, in the draft negotiating text on reducing carbon emissions, and to reach consensus on each word in the text.

Slivers of common ground for the toughest issues in negotiations could be found in the joint announcements that China recently signed with both developed countries and developing countries, said Xie, special representative on climate change issues.

In the past 12 months, his team has busily engaged with the international community on expanding common ground and building the momentum toward a successful Paris conference.

President Xi Jinping will deliver a speech at the conference, which is expected to inject great political energy to the negotiations, Xie said in Paris on Sunday.

It is also the first time that the Chinese president will attend the UN climate conference.

China has signed a host of significant joint announcements on climate change during 2015, including with the United States, the European Union, France, Brazil and India.

The latest joint announcement, between China and France, agreed to a five-year review process to assess and strengthen national commitments to combating climate change over time.

This is key to maintaining the actions necessary to fulfill the goal of keeping global temperature rise within 2 C.

On many occasions Xie has affirmed that human activities are major causes of global warming and China's determination to cut its greenhouse gas emissions is of its own choosing.

His office has a plaque that reads Dao fa zi ran, which translates into "Nature goes its own way", an ancient Chinese philosophy.

And while many Chinese cities have been ravaged by smog in the last few years, for Xie, a veteran in the area of environmental protection, it's a window of opportunity for the country to transition to a green economy.

"The smog problem has been so serious in some Chinese cities that if we follow the old extensive development model, society will be unsatisfied," said Xie. "There is no time to waste in dealing with the risks of climate change."

In explaining his views on climate change negotiations, Xie said the ultimate goal is to create a win-win situation. Nations must figure out a plan by taking into account all interests from all sides.

Xie, 66, was appointed by the central government as special representative on climate change issues after he retired from the position of vice-chairman of the National Development and Reform Commission earlier this year. His new role draws on his rich experience in climate negotiations and personal relationships with other top climate officials.

Achim Steiner, executive director of the United Nations Environment Program, said Xie has been both a visionary and pragmatist. "Visionary in terms of the challenges of the future of China and pragmatist in terms of how to take the next step," Steiner said.

"I think he has been an extraordinary influence between China and the international community on climate change and the environment."

Who's who

The Paris climate talks will take place at Le Bourget from Monday to Dec 11. The majority of Chinese negotiators come from the National Development and Reform Commission and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. A wide range of other authorities and research institutes have also been actively involved in the negotiations, including the Ministry of Environmental Protection, Ministry of Finance, Ministry of Agriculture, the National Center for Climate Change Strategy and International Cooperation and Tsinghua University.

Xie Zhenhua heads the Chinese delegation to the talks, also known as COP 21, or conference of parties.

There are four deputy heads of the delegation: Liu Zhenmin, vice-foreign minister; Zhai Jun, China's ambassador to France; Su Wei, director of the department of climate change under the NDRC; and Gao Feng, special representative on climate change issues at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

About 30 side events will be hosted in the Chinese Pavilion from Dec 1.

Major topics include Chinese youth actions for dealing with climate change, China-US cooperation on climate change, establishment of sustainable green cities, green economy policies in light of climate change, South-South cooperation, Hong Kong's climate risks and solutions, the carbon market, green financing, public participation and awareness.