"Ursula von der Leyen is promising the European Green Deal will tackle the runaway climate crisis and the massive destruction of nature. But the climate targets she's proposing would be too little too late," Greenpeace EU spokeswoman Franziska Achterberg said in a statement.

Greenpeace called on Von der Leyen to up the emissions reduction target to 65 percent.

"The climate, ecological and inequality crises require a fundamental rethink of the economic system that for decades has rewarded pollution, environmental destruction and human exploitation," Achterberg said.

Yeo says that he believes there is room for integration and alignment between China and the EU on climate-related policies. He says that if both regions agreed on common standards in areas such as vehicle emissions and energy efficiency in the building sector, it would encourage global markets to go the same way.

"There is the opportunity for the EU to become the global partner of China, for mutual benefit and the world's benefit," Yeo said.