China’s veteran climate envoy Xie Zhenhua steps down, as career diplomat Liu Zhenmin takes helm

Officials from both sides discussed areas of cooperation, including “energy transition, methane, circular economy, low-carbon provinces/states and cities”, the ministry said.

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A native of the city of Tianjin, Xie graduated from Tsinghua University and started his career working for various government agencies responsible for environmental affairs. He served in roles at the State Environmental Protection Administration and the National Development and Reform Commission.

In 2007, Xie attended Cop13 in Bali as China’s lead climate negotiator. In 2015, he was appointed as China’s special climate change representative.

Last February, Xie received an award from the Nobel Sustainability Trust Foundation for his contribution in tackling the global crisis and promoting sustainable development.

Xie’s successor, Liu, 68, attended Cop28 in Dubai as the Chinese delegation’s senior adviser. The veteran diplomat is also experienced in climate diplomacy.

A Shanxi native, Liu holds a master’s degree in law from Peking University and began his diplomatic career in 1982.

Liu served as China’s vice foreign minister from 2013 to 2017 in charge of Asian affairs, border and maritime issues. He has been involved in multiple international negotiations, including climate change talks for both the Kyoto Protocol and the Paris Agreement.

The career diplomat served as undersecretary-general for the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs from 2017 to 2022.

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In that role, he was responsible for advising the UN secretary general on development-related issues, including climate change, and for guiding UN secretariat support for the follow-up processes of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, according to his profile on the UN website.

Liu also previously served as the foreign ministry’s assistant minister, and as China’s deputy permanent representative to the UN.