UAE Looking Forward to Effective Partnership on Climate Issues at COP28

UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan and a number of heads of state attend the opening ceremony of Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week. (WAM)
UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan and a number of heads of state attend the opening ceremony of Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week. (WAM)
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UAE Looking Forward to Effective Partnership on Climate Issues at COP28

UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan and a number of heads of state attend the opening ceremony of Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week. (WAM)
UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan and a number of heads of state attend the opening ceremony of Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week. (WAM)

The United Arab Emirates underscored its efforts for the upcoming United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP28) to serve as an opportunity to forge effective partnerships, in order to achieve tangible and real progress on climate issues.

The UAE is holding the Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week (ADSW), bringing together heads of state, policy-makers, industry leaders, investors, entrepreneurs and youth to discuss and engage on bold climate action and innovation to build a more sustainable future for future generations.

The UAE will host COP28 in November.

UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan said his country was exerting intensive efforts to find feasible and pragmatic solutions to climate change issues.

He stressed that ADSW was a global platform that reflects the UAE’s commitment to convening the international community and ensuring collaboration in driving sustainable economic and social development.

Sheikh Mohamed added that the UAE strategic initiative to achieve net zero emissions by 2050 was a natural progression of the comprehensive approach, which aims to build a prosperous and sustainable future through commitment to protecting nature and preserving the environment.

He emphasized that the ADSW this year was an essential step towards the UAE hosting COP28.

He noted that his country’s selection to host the conference reflected the UAE’s continued efforts to promote practical climate action, sustainable economic development, and progress towards desired global goals.

Addressing ADSW, President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev stressed the depth of the bilateral relations between the UAE and his country.

He highlighted Azerbaijan’s ambition to strengthen its reliance on clean energy sources as an essential part of national development efforts, and to contribute to the global drive for a more environmentally friendly economy.



China Expands Visa-free Entry to More Countries in Bid to Boost Economy

Shoppers with their purchased goods walk past a popular outdoor shopping mall in Beijing, on Nov. 14, 2024. (AP Photo/Andy Wong)
Shoppers with their purchased goods walk past a popular outdoor shopping mall in Beijing, on Nov. 14, 2024. (AP Photo/Andy Wong)
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China Expands Visa-free Entry to More Countries in Bid to Boost Economy

Shoppers with their purchased goods walk past a popular outdoor shopping mall in Beijing, on Nov. 14, 2024. (AP Photo/Andy Wong)
Shoppers with their purchased goods walk past a popular outdoor shopping mall in Beijing, on Nov. 14, 2024. (AP Photo/Andy Wong)

China announced Friday that it would expand visa-free entry to citizens of nine more countries as it seeks to boost tourism and business travel to help revive a sluggish economy.
Starting Nov. 30, travelers from Bulgaria, Romania, Malta, Croatia, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Estonia, Latvia and Japan will be able to enter China for up to 30 days without a visa, Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian said.
That will bring to 38 the number of countries that have been granted visa-free access since last year. Only three countries had visa-free access previously, and theirs had been eliminated during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The permitted length of stay for visa-free entry is being increased from the previous 15 days, Lin said, and people participating in exchanges will be eligible for the first time. China has been pushing people-to-people exchange between students, academics and others to try to improve its sometimes strained relations with other countries, The Associated Press reported.
China strictly restricted entry during the pandemic and ended its restrictions much later than most other countries. It restored the previous visa-free access for citizens of Brunei and Singapore in July 2023, and then expanded visa-free entry to six more countries — France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Spain and Malaysia — on Dec. 1 of last year.
The program has since been expanded in tranches. Some countries have announced visa-free entry for Chinese citizens, notably Thailand, which wants to bring back Chinese tourists.
For the three months from July through September this year, China recorded 8.2 million entries by foreigners, of which 4.9 million were visa-free, the official Xinhua News Agency said, quoting a Foreign Ministry consular official.