China hopes to see positive results on global climate finance goal at COP29: spokeswoman

China hopes to see positive outcomes on the global climate finance goal at the upcoming 29th Conference of the Parties on Climate Change (COP29), Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning said at a press briefing in Beijing on Friday.

Azerbaijan, the host of COP29, will host the World Leaders Climate Action Summit in Baku, the capital city of the central Asian country. The conference is scheduled to take place at the Baku Olympic Stadium from Nov. 11 to 22, and is expected to be the largest event organized by Azerbaijan to date.

"The main task of COP29 is to set a global climate finance goal after 2025 and make preparations for the submission of a new round of Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs), which is of great importance to advancing global climate governance. Vice Premier Ding Xuexiang will attend the summit as the special representative of President Xi Jinping," Mao said.

"China stands ready to work with other parties to uphold the goal, principles and system of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and the Paris Agreement, advance practical actions and achieve sustainable development. China hopes to see positive outcomes on the global climate finance goal at the meeting. Developed countries should earnestly fulfill their responsibilities and provide strong financial support to developing countries for their climate response. China will continue to offer assistance to fellow developing countries to the best of its capacity within the framework of South-South cooperation," she said.

The spokeswoman also highlighted the strong friendship and mutually beneficial partnership between China and Azerbaijan.

"China and Azerbaijan are good friends with sincerity and mutual trust, and good partners based on equality and mutual benefit. In July this year, President Xi Jinping met with President Ilham Aliyev on the sidelines of the Astana summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO), and the two sides jointly announced the decision to elevate the bilateral relations to a strategic partnership, which opens a new chapter for the growth of the relations between China and Azerbaijan. During Vice Premier Ding Xuexiang's visit, he will hold talks with Deputy Prime Minister Shahin Abdulla oglu Mustafayev and the two sides will have an in-depth exchange of views on bilateral relations and cooperation across the board. We believe that this visit will further move forward the China-Azerbaijan relationship and bring more benefits to the two peoples," Mao said.

China hopes to see positive results on global climate finance goal at COP29: spokeswoman

The World Conference of Classics, held in Beijing from Wednesday till Friday, featured a series of captivating exhibitions and cultural tours, allowing participants from around the globe to experience the allure of profound Chinese culture.

Themed "Classical Civilizations and the Modern World," the conference attracted over 600 participants, comprising individuals from relevant departments and institutions of China and Greece, as well as experts and scholars from across the globe.

On the sidelines of the event, special exhibitions on archaeology, the origin of the Chinese civilization, and achievements in classical studies took center stage in the Chinese capital.

"I love Su Shi's Chibifu (The First Visit to the Red Cliff), for example. I love Du Fu's poetry. When you read the Qiuxingbashou (eight poems about autumn), every time you read it, you discover something new. It will always say something new to a new reader or even to the same reader who reads it again. And this is my experience with Chinese poetry," said Martin Kern, a professor in East Asian Studies at Princeton University.

Ahead of the conference, experts, scholars and cultural figures from over 30 countries and regions have visited many museums in the provinces of Henan, Sichuan and Shandong.

Foreign classical scholars said the museum tours have afforded them an opportunity to learn more about Chinese culture.

"China is really great. I love China. Why? Because I love the thoughts and classic culture in China. This is my specialty," said Vladimir Malyavin, a professor of regional studies at the Higher School of Economics.

"It is very good that people coming here can understand about archeological work, about the type of work, results received; the meaning of that, because it's very important for people to understand that we have not only the future before us, but we had a great, great past. Without understanding the past, we don't understand the future," said Andrzej Niewinski, a professor at the University of Warsaw.

"I think the basic meaning is to (promote) mutual understanding, exchange cultural views, to know from a different point of view these classical traditions, and starting right now to understand each other better," said Filippo Costantini, an assistant professor in Chinese Studies at the University of Cagliari in Italy.

Chinese culture captivates global scholars at World Conference of Classics