Europe should ratify Paris climate deal, like China, US

Vice-Prime Minister of Belgium Didier Reynders poses with young Chinese artist Zao Dao at the annual Brussels Comic Strip Festival on Sunday, saying he welcomes Chinese artists to the event. [Photo by Fu Jing/China Daily]

Vice-Prime Minister of Belgium Didier Reynders said on Sunday that Europe should follow China and the United States, after the two powers took the lead in ratifying the Paris climate change agreement one day ahead of the two-day G20 summit in Hangzhou, in East China's Zhejiang province, which starts on Sunday.

Reynders, who is also foreign minister of Belgium, made the comment when he was visiting the China exhibition at the annual Brussels Comic Strip Festival held on Sept 2-4.

"It is my pleasure to visit the display of Chinese works for the second time and I am enjoying those by both classic and modern Chinese artists," said Reynders during an interview with China Daily.

He also said he was enjoying the works by Chinese artists at the festival and "at the same time, to see the beginning of G20 summit in China."

The Belgian foreign minister said it is positive and encouraging that China and the United States have taken the lead in ratifying the Paris Agreement on climate change which was achieved in the end of last year at the UN talks in France.

"It is nice to see that China has ratified the climate agreement at the same moment as the United States ahead of the beginning of G20 summit and I hope Europe would do the same," said Reynders.

United Nations has started a one-year ratification period of Paris Agreement in April and so far European Union has not announced its timetable. The EU could only go through the ratification procedure after its member states do so at domestic level. France has already ratified the agreement mainly because of its presidency of climate talks in 2015.

At the festival, Reynders exchanged ideas and posed for photos with Chinese artists, welcoming them to the Belgium, which is dubbed "the kingdom of comics."

Chinese organizers exhibited classic comics books such as Sanman, a lasting famous character created by the artist Zhang Leping (1910-1992), who lived roughly the same period as the Belgian cartoonist Georges Prosper Remi (1907-83) better known by his pen name of Herge and who created the long-running character Tintin.

The works by Chinese young artist Zao Dao attracted much attention at the three-day comics and cartoon fair, with visitors have lining up to watch her paint on the blank page of her illustration collection which was sold at the show.

To contact the reporter: fujing@chinadaily.com.cn