UNITED NATIONS, July 24 (Xinhua) -- UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres welcomes the commitment of China and the European Union (EU) to strengthen cooperation on climate change and drive the global just transition, said Farhan Haq, deputy spokesperson for the UN chief, on Thursday.

"As two of the world's largest economies, the Secretary-General believes it is critical that China and the European Union continue to work together to ensure that COP30 in Brazil represents a major turning point in the global effort to address the climate crisis," Haq said in a statement.

"The Secretary-General reiterates his call to all G20 countries to present 2035 NDCs (Nationally Determined Contributions) that are economy-wide, cover all emissions, align with the 1.5-degree goal and define a credible pathway to transition away from fossil fuels as agreed at the first Global Stocktake," he said.

On Thursday, leaders of China and the EU issued a joint statement on climate change after the 25th China-EU Summit in Beijing, in which they recognized that strengthening China-EU cooperation on the issue will impact the well-being of people on both sides, and is of great and special significance to upholding multilateralism and advancing global climate governance. ■