TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) on Thursday (Nov. 10) shut down China’s claim at the 27th U.N.'s Climate Change Conference (COP27) that it has helped Taiwan carry out policies on climate change.

“Within the policy of One China, we have provided assistance to Taiwan to implement climate policies,” China's special envoy for climate change Xie Zhenhua (解振華) said.

MOFA said in a press release that Xie’s lie at the international conference was an “improper denigration” of Taiwan’s sovereignty. “The effectiveness of Taiwan’s environmental protection policies is obvious to all countries and has nothing to do with China,” the ministry said.

Taiwan’s 2050 net-zero carbon emissions goal “far exceeds China’s commitments on climate change,” it added.

MOFA accused the Chinese Communist Party of politicizing global efforts to combat climate change at the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change and hindering Taiwan's participation for years. China's actions run counter to its responsibilities as a major global carbon emitter, the ministry said.

It is highly regrettable that the issue of climate change and the sovereign rights and interests of other countries are sacrificed, in order for Beijing to achieve its goal of authoritarian expansion, MOFA said.

Taiwan has been participating in the U.N. Climate Change Conference since the inaugural meeting in 1995 in Bonn, Germany.

MOFA said it hopes the international community will take “concrete actions” to recognize Taiwan's contribution to fighting climate change, support Taiwan's participation in negotiations related to the UNFCCC and the Paris Agreement, and allow Taiwan to make more contributions to the global net-zero emissions goal.