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montreal protocol on substances that deplete the ozone layer(hereinafter referred to as the montreal protocol)the montreal protocol was signed on september 16, 1987, with the aim of phasing out the production and use of substances that deplete the ozone layer through global action. in 1994, the united nations established september 16 as the international day for the protection of the ozone layer to commemorate the signing of the montreal protocol.

since joining the montreal protocol in 1991, my country has always strictly fulfilled its obligations under international environmental conventions and achieved the compliance targets of each stage as scheduled. over the past 30 years of compliance, china has eliminated a total of about 628,000 tons of ozone-depleting substances, accounting for more than half of the elimination in developing countries. at the same time, it has avoided more than 26 billion tons of carbon dioxide equivalent greenhouse gas emissions, making important contributions to the gradual recovery of the global ozone layer and playing a positive role in mitigating climate change.

in october 2016, the parties to the montreal protocol reached the kigali amendment, deciding to implement control and reduction of hydrofluorocarbons (hfcs), a potent greenhouse gas that causes global warming. in april 2021, president xi jinping personally announced that china accepted the kigali amendment, strengthening the control of non-co2 greenhouse gases such as hfcs, opening a new chapter in china's history of coordinating the protection of the ozone layer and addressing climate change under the montreal protocol.

according to scientific assessments, the international community can avoid a global average temperature rise of 0.5 degrees celsius by 2100 by fulfilling the control requirements of the kigali amendment. compared with the global warming control target of the paris agreement, its climate benefits are very significant. since accepting the kigali amendment, my country has taken multiple measures to promote hfcs compliance and control and has made positive progress.

first, improve the legal and policy system and clarify the hfcs control and reduction measures. on december 29, 2023, the state council promulgated the "decision on amending the regulations on the management of ozone depleting substances", which will come into effect on march 1, 2024. the newly revised "regulations" align with the new requirements for the implementation of the kigali amendment, incorporate hfcs into the current compliance control system, further improve management measures, strengthen legal responsibilities, and lay a solid legal foundation for the implementation of the kigali amendment. at the same time, the ministry of ecology and environment is preparing the "china's national plan for the implementation of the montreal protocol (2024-2030)", which is expected to be issued in the near future. the national plan will clarify my country's compliance timetable and roadmap before 2030, focus on strengthening the construction of the hfcs full life cycle management system, refine policy measures and division of responsibilities, and gather the joint efforts of all parties to jointly promote the implementation of the agreement to a new level.

the second is to implement quota licensing management to achieve the total amount control target of hfcs. 2024 is the freezing year for my country to implement the kigali amendment and implement total amount control on hfcs production and use. the ministry of ecology and environment, together with the national development and reform commission and the ministry of industry and information technology, has established a two-pronged management and control system for hfcs chemical production and construction project management and quota licensing management. adhering to the principle of allocation based on demand, the hfcs production quota and quota for domestic use issued in 2024 are equivalent to 1.449 billion tons and 643 million tons of carbon dioxide equivalent, respectively, which is a reduction of 404 million tons and 262 million tons of carbon dioxide equivalent, respectively, compared with the total amount of quotas in 2024. at the same time, as a major exporter of hfcs, my country has established and strictly implemented hfcs import and export licensing management since accepting the kigali amendment in 2021. it approves nearly 30,000 batches of hfcs import and export each year, cracks down on smuggling and illegal trade, and has blocked 59 batches of potential illegal trade in hfcs through the "informal prior informed consent mechanism" under international conventions. the amount of hfcs involved is equivalent to approximately 1.45 million tons of carbon dioxide equivalent, making outstanding contributions to global climate and environmental governance.

third, strengthen the effectiveness of supervision and law enforcement, and promote the improvement of hfcs performance. the ministry of ecology and environment carries out quota license approval in accordance with laws and regulations, establishes a full-caliber verification mechanism for hfcs production enterprises, and continuously conducts statistical surveys based on the national information management system to fully grasp the production and use of hfcs. incorporate hfcs supervision-related law enforcement activities into the daily environmental supervision and law enforcement plan, continue to do a good job in "double random, one public" supervision, continue to carry out special law enforcement actions in key industries and key areas, and strive to create a good market environment for performance. organize training courses for local ecological and environmental departments and industry enterprises, take the lead in carrying out the third phase of the performance capacity building project in 7 key provinces and cities, and comprehensively improve the level of supervision.

fourth, we will strengthen scientific and technological research and lay a solid foundation for hfcs compliance safety. based on international advanced experience, we will gradually improve the construction of hfcs and ozone-depleting substances atmospheric monitoring networks in changdao, shandong and other places, and build a china compliance effectiveness evaluation and forecasting and early warning evaluation system. we will coordinate the promotion of high-level compliance and high-quality development, promote the automotive, home appliance and other industries to accelerate the research and development of hfcs substitutes and alternative technologies, encourage the application of natural refrigerants, adhere to the path of independent innovation, promote industry transformation and upgrading through compliance, and accelerate the development of new quality productivity.

as a responsible major developing country, china will strictly implement its obligations under the montreal protocol and its kigali amendment, continue to strengthen the regulation of ozone-depleting substances and hfcs, promote the research and development and application of green and low-carbon alternatives, continuously deepen international cooperation in climate governance, and work with the international community to jointly address global challenges such as ozone layer depletion and climate change.