On Dec. 3, a spirited football match took place at the Football Academy Field, 20 kilometers away from the Expo City Dubai, where COP28 was ongoing. The competing teams were Dragon Twelve Football Club and Fair Play Club, representing youth from China and the UAE respectively.
“We all love sports,” said Sheikh Mohammed Jamal Al Qasimi, a royal family member of Sharjah, the UAE. Watching the match, he said that both sports and paintings are universal “languages” that can transcend cultural differences and language barriers, facilitating a shared understanding among people from different countries.
After an intense match, the Chinese young players from the Dragon Twelve Football Club emerged victorious. An 11-year-old player from the Fair Play Club expressed his delight at meeting many Chinese friends and learning about environmental protection. “This is great!” he said.
Other UAE royal family members including Sheihk Alharith Hamed Al Qasimi, Sheihk Sayed Bin Al Qasimi, and Ms. May Mohammad also watched the match.
Before the match began, UAE royal family members, along with Chinese delegates including Zhao Yingmin, vice minister of Ecology and Environment of China and head of the Chinese delegation to COP28, visited the Climate Action Comics Exhibition.
The Exhibition was displayed both online and offline at the China Pavilion during COP28. Artworks from artists aged 3 to 72, hailing from many countries, depicted their diverse understanding of low carbon across nations and generations.
“All the comics at the exhibition look very good. We need to plant more trees to protect the Earth in the future,” said Meng Xiangyun, a seven-year-old Chinese girl who lives in Dubai. Her artwork Protecting the Earth was also selected for the exhibition. Her innocent strokes delineate elements concerning ecological civilization including afforestation, green transportation, and garbage sorting.
Sultan Ahmed Al Jaber, president of COP28 UAE, along with Xie Zhenhua, China’s Special Envoy for Climate Change, paid their visits to the China Pavilion as well.
Sheikh Alharith emphasized that the event showcased successful cooperation between China and the UAE in addressing climate change.
“With COP28 underway, organizing such a green and low-carbon event is not only innovative but also encourages public participation,” noted Sheikh Mohammed.
The China-UAE Youth Football Match and Climate Action Comic Exhibition was hosted by Policy Research Center for Environment and Economy of the Ministry of Ecology and Environment of China, Consulate-General of the People’s Republic of China in Dubai, China News Network, and BRI International Green Development Coalition, and co-organized by Bank of China Dubai Branch.
