Special Envoy for Climate Change
People's Republic of China

H.E. Mr. XIE Zhenhua has been China Special Envoy for Climate Change since February 2021. He has been Special Advisor for Climate Change Affairs of China, Ministry of Environment and Ecology (MEE) since April 2020. He was Special Representative for Climate Change Affairs of China from 2015 to 2019. In the past decades, he served as Head of the former National Environmental Protection Agency, Minister of the former State Environmental Protection Administration, and Vice Chairman (Minister for Climate Change, Resource Conservation, Environment Protection, Energy Saving, Emission Reduction and Circular Economy) of the National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC), as well as Vice Chairman for the Committee on Population, Resources and Environment of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) at its 12th session. He was a member of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China (CPC) at its 16th and 18th sessions, and a member of the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection of the CPC at its 15th and 17th sessions.

Minister XIE Zhenhua has long overseen environmental protection, resource conservation, energy saving and pollution reductions and climate change in China, and has thus made outstanding contributions to the green, low-carbon, circular and sustainable development and ecological civilisation progress in China, as well as to the multilateral process on environment and climate. Since 2007, Minister XIE Zhenhua has been leading the Chinese negotiation team to make unremitting efforts for more than ten consecutive years, and played a prominent role in the adoption, signing, entry into force and implementation of the Paris Agreement, as well as in the development of the implementation arrangements for the Paris Agreement. He also promoted concrete cooperation in energy conservation, emission reductions and green and low-carbon development between China and more than 30 countries, regions, and international organisations, released joint statements and other outcomes, and helped train over one thousand officials and technicians in the field of climate change for more than 100 developing countries. In November 2020, Minister XIE Zhenhua joined as a member of the UN High-level Advisory Group on Climate Action, initiated and led by the UN Secretary-General Guterres, to provide strategic advice and policy recommendations to his agenda on combating global climate change.

Minister XIE Zhenhua won GEF Global Leadership Award in 2002, UNEP Sasakawa Environment Prize (the highest prize on environment protection in the UN system) and World Bank Special Green Award in 2003, Alliance to Save Energy- Energy Efficiency Visionary Award in 2009, WWF Liveable Planet Leadership Award in 2015. Minister XIE Zhenhua won Lui Che Woo Prize for Sustainability in 2017. Thereafter, he donated 20 million Hong Kong Dollars money award from Lui Che Woo Prize to Tsinghua University and established the Special Foundation for Global Climate Change and Green Development as well as the Institute of Climate Change and Sustainable Development, serving as its first President.