LocationsRemarks by Ms. Beate Trankmann at the “Global Development and Cooperation with China: New Ideas, Policies and Initiatives for a Changing World” Book Launch
April 15, 2025
UNDP Resident Representative in China, Beate Trankmann, delivered remarks at the “Global Development and Cooperation with China: New Ideas, Policies and Initiatives for a Changing World” book launch in Beijing, China.
Dear colleagues, distinguished guests,
On behalf of the United Nations Development Programme in China, it is a pleasure to join you all for today’s book launch.
We come together during tumultuous and uncertain times.
Around the world, conflicts, economic shocks, and geopolitical tensions have led to growing inequalities and social divisions. Meanwhile, climate change continues to accelerate, with global temperatures last year once again breaking all-time highs.
These overlapping and compounding crises are damaging the environment, putting vulnerable groups everywhere at risk, and derailing critical development progress.
Indeed, with only 5 years remaining before the 2030 deadline for the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) – our shared blueprint to ensure the future of both humanity and our planet – the majority of goals are off track. Here in the Asia-Pacific Region, SDG 13 - Climate Action in particular has shown an alarming regression, driven by increasing GHG emissions and climate-related disasters.[i]
And as global development challenges accelerate, the resources being dedicated to address them continue to shrink with falling ODA, tightening fiscal space and rising debt levels globally.
It is precisely in this context, that international cooperation, grounded in solidarity and shared responsibility, is so critical. This is not a choice — it is a necessity.
Only by working together across borders and sectors can we realize both national and global development agendas, reviving progress towards the SDGs.
Last year’s Summit of the Future underscored this urgency. Through the Pact for the Future, world leaders reaffirmed collective resolve to safeguard our world for a better tomorrow and reinvigorate multilateralism to advance a more inclusive, resilient, and sustainable global development system.
China, as the world’s second largest economy and a leader in South-South cooperation, can play an important role in delivering on the ambitions of the Pact — particularly in areas such as financing and climate action.
"Only by working together across borders and sectors can we realize both national and global development agendas, reviving progress towards the SDGs."
Indeed, China is demonstrating strong commitment to low-carbon development including through its dual carbon goals to peak emissions before 2030 and reach carbon neutrality before 2060.
China has also made important investments in green infrastructure and is a global leader in renewable energy like wind and solar. Non-fossil fuel sources now make up more than half of its total energy generation capacity.
Moving ahead, it will be critical to further strengthen these efforts, including by pursuing enhanced commitments in China’s next generation of Nationally Determined Contributions to be put forward for this year’s UN Climate Summit, which can help point the way towards more ambitious targets and accelerated actions globally.
China can also continue supporting multilateral initiatives to address debt sustainability in developing countries. This includes exploring innovative financing approaches — such as debt-for-development swaps — that can help redirect debt burdens towards SDG-aligned investments and long-term resilience.
When aligned with the SDGs and responsive to country needs, mechanisms like China’s Global Development and South-South Cooperation Fund also hold important possibilities to help close financing gaps and advance sustainable development priorities in partner countries.
At UNDP, we look forward to strengthening and building upon our partnership of over four and a half decades with China in support of sustainable development. In particular, we stand ready to continue leveraging our global network, expertise, and multilateral platforms to help inform China’s international development cooperation engagements, drawing on international best practices and standards.
In closing, let me congratulate the Center for China and Globalization and Springer Nature on today’s book launch, and express my thanks for their invitation to both speak today, and contribute to this important publication.
As its title underscores, navigating today’s global development landscape indeed requires new thinking, bold policies, and deeper partnerships.
No country can do this alone – but together, we can respond to the challenges of our time, and forge a sustainable future that leaves no one behind.
Thank you.
[i] https://www.unescap.org/kp/2025/asia-and-pacific-sdg-progress-report-2025
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