No other country can match the comprehensiveness of China's methane action plan — a strategy that is deep, substantive and consistently implemented, said Marcelo Mena, CEO of the Global Methane Hub.

While the United States has abandoned the methane agenda, China has remained committed to methane emission control in cooperation with international partners such as the European Union and the United Kingdom, said Mena, former environment minister of Chile, in an exclusive interview with China Daily on the sidelines of the annual China Methane Summit in Beijing on Tuesday.

Mena highlighted a range of sectors where China has taken action to strengthen methane emission control, including oil and gas, coal mining, waste disposal, rice farming and animal husbandry.

Compared with other countries, "you will not find a country that has the comprehensive nature of the methane action plan of China. It is deep, it is real, and it is something that continues to be implemented," he stressed.

"I come here every year. And every year I am surprised with the progress," he added.

He underscored the importance of methane emission control, describing it as the "emergency break" for addressing climate change, as "it is the fastest way to reduce temperature".

As the second most abundant human-caused greenhouse gas after carbon dioxide, methane has more than 80 times the warming power of carbon dioxide over the first 20 years after it reaches the atmosphere.

Mena also praised China's concrete actions in fulfilling its commitments.

"Most countries promise big, and then don't think about things until the next moment to promise, right? Implementation is forgotten in many ways," he said.

What other countries could learn from China is that the promises the country has made are meant to be kept, he said.

He noted that China's implementation of its methane control pledge could demonstrate to other countries that mitigating this potent greenhouse gas is in their own interest, including for energy security and food security.

Mena said he looks forward to seeing China exert greater influence on methane reduction efforts globally as a major oil and gas importer.

"It could have a very positive influence on reducing emissions in places like Central Asia, where the emissions are highest," he noted.

Methane loss in Turkmenistan's oil and gas operations, for example, is estimated at between 4.6 percent and over 10 percent of total production. "You could estimate that the Central Asian region, with the current prices, loses around $2.4 billion a year in income," he said.

While methane emissions from oil and gas operations in Central Asia have a negative impact on the climate, he said capturing and utilizing the potent greenhouse gas could contribute to the development of these countries.

China could influence these countries through joint ventures, he said.

Co-investing in emission reductions in Central Asian countries could be very positive, Mena added. That would send a signal to those countries that methane emissions linked to China's imported products need to be addressed, and would be a powerful way to accelerate change.

"I'm very sure that there will be good progress there, because there are good reasons to do this — because it's about energy security, it's about reducing wasteful practices," he said.