Nation makes big advances in curbing greenhouse gases

China has far exceeded its phase-one compliance targets for potent greenhouse gases known as HFCs, or hydrofluorocarbons, a senior environment official said on Wednesday, with the annual destruction of 17,000 metric tons of HFC-23 alone over the past five years equivalent to reducing more than 250 million tons of carbon dioxide emissions.

Xu Bijiu, vice-minister of ecology and environment, made the remarks while speaking at an event in Beijing which marked the 2026 International Day for the Preservation of the Ozone Layer and the 10th anniversary of the adoption of the Kigali Amendment to the Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer.

Since accepting the Kigali Amendment in 2021, China has cut HFC production by about 1.2 billion metric tons and consumption by 759 million tons of CO2 equivalent from baseline levels, Xu said.

HFCs do not deplete the ozone layer and are therefore used as replacements for some ozone-depleting substances. However, because they are potent greenhouse gases, the Kigali Amendment was adopted in 2016 to gradually reduce their production and consumption.

China's reduction in ozone-depleting substances accounts for more than half of the total reductions contributed by developing countries, Xu said.

The country has rolled out a series of measures to implement the Montreal Protocol and its Kigali Amendment, he said.

For example, China has established a full life cycle quota, licensing and filing management system covering controlled substances, and more than 50,000 enterprises have been registered under the system so far, Xu said.

The country has also tightened approval procedures for the import and export of these substances. Through an informal prior informed consent mechanism, China confirmed 2,312 export batches with importing countries in advance, effectively averting potential illegal trade involving 366 tons of controlled substances, Xu said.

Xu also highlighted severe challenges facing the country, including overlapping phase-out and phase-down tasks and bottlenecks in the commercialization of alternative substances for industrial and commercial refrigeration and polyurethane foam.

He reiterated China's determination to uphold multilateralism and strengthen cooperation with all parties and international organizations.

"No matter how the international situation changes, China's actions to protect the ozone layer and address climate change will not slow down, its resolve to honor international commitments will not waver, and its pace of advancing green development will not stop," he said.

Earlier this week, the United Nations Development Programme marked the successful phase-out of HCFCs, or hydrochlorofluorocarbons, in China's solvent sector under Stage II of the Montreal Protocol.

UNDP China, together with the Ministry of Ecology and Environment and its Foreign Environmental Cooperation Center, hosted an Experience Exchange and Commendation Conference on the Phase-Out of HCFCs in Beijing on Monday.

The Monday event came just over two months after China's nationwide ban on HCFCs in cleaning agents took effect on July 1, 2026, marking the formal conclusion of the phase-out process in China's solvent sector.

"China's solvent sector phase-out represents the final sprint in this compliance journey," said Stefan Liller, UNDP resident representative in China.

"What we have achieved here demonstrates that industrial transformation and environmental stewardship can go hand in hand," he added.