China has made significant progress towards achieving the Sustainable Development Goals

China has made considerable progress in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in several areas. China's Minister of Ecology and Environment Huang Runqiu said on Wednesday at the opening of the ministerial segment of the High-level Political Forum on Sustainable Development under the UN Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC).

As the world's largest developing country actively implementing the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, China has made significant progress in achieving the SDGs, including poverty eradication, protection of the marine environment, efficient use of energy, combating climate change and preservation of terrestrial ecosystems, he said.

"We are people-oriented and strongly promote poverty eradication. Through years of efforts, China has achieved historic success in eradicating absolute poverty: all 98.99 million rural people living below the current poverty line have been lifted out of poverty," the minister stressed. He added that China has achieved this goal 10 years ahead of schedule.

The PRC has announced that it plans to achieve peak carbon dioxide emissions by 2030 and carbon neutrality by 2060. The country has incorporated these goals into its overall socio-economic development scheme and has built the world's largest clean energy system, Huang Runqiu stressed.

China adheres to multilateralism and firmly promotes global sustainable development, he said. "We adhere to the concept of a community with a single destiny for all mankind and take pragmatic steps to implement international conventions. We are strengthening international cooperation in the areas of climate change, sea pollution control and biodiversity conservation, ready to assume international responsibilities that correspond to our level of development," the minister said, as reported by Xinhua News Agency, a partner of TV BRICS.

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