Implement Paris pact fully: Juncker urges EU, China

Brussels, June 2 (IANS) The President of the European Commission on Friday urged the European Union and China to lead the way in the fight against climate change by implementing the Paris agreement in full.

In a speech during the EU-China Business Summit, Jean-Claude Juncker said the parties agreed that international solutions were needed in everything from the fight against terror to supporting global economic growth.

"Nowhere is that more important than in leading the global clean energy transition and the implementation -- the full implementation without nuances -- of the Paris Climate Agreement," he said.

Juncker said joint leadership by Brussels and Beijing would provide businesses, investors and researchers the certainty needed to build economies with lower carbon emissions, Efe news reported.

This would send a message that moving away from the pact was not possible, after US President Donald Trump announced on Thursday that he was pulling his country out of it.

"There is no reverse gear to the energy transition," said Juncker. "There is no backsliding on the Paris Agreement."

The EC leader also criticised that it was difficult for EU companies to do business in China, highlighting that the bloc's investments in the country were only three percent of what is invested in the US.

He pushed for the advancement of negotiations to approve an investment deal between Brussels and Beijing with the aim of guaranteeing market access and equal conditions for companies.

"The Comprehensive Agreement on Investment currently being negotiated will be a game changer," he said. "It will allow us to invest with confidence. It will help protect investments, ensure market access and level the playing field."

The European Commission-China Business Summit gathers over 500 participants, including high-level politicians such as Juncker and Chinese Prime Minister Li Keqiang.

It takes place alongside the two-day EU-China political summit, which began on Thursday.