China's climate commitment signals renewed global leadership

A woman walks past a logo of the upcoming 30th UN Climate Change Conference (COP30) in Belem, Brazil, November 4, 2025. [Photo/Xinhua]

By Yasiru Ranaraja

Since the adoption of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change framework in 1994, global efforts to reduce anthropogenic climate change have seen mixed results. Today, even with past experiences under various climate regimes over the past three decades, balancing energy security with climate action still represents one of humanity's most pressing shared challenges. At the same time, the global shift toward green and low-carbon energy has offered significant economic opportunities, demonstrating that sustainable development and growth could go hand in hand.

Guided by new development concepts, China has pursued systematic green growth through a combination of domestic policies and international cooperation. The country has become a leader in new energy industries, investing heavily in renewables, energy storage, hydrogen, electrification, high-speed rail and electric vehicles. State-led initiatives, public-private partnerships and private sector innovation have together expanded China's low-carbon energy capacity and alternatives to hydrocarbon-based energy, such as solar, wind and nuclear power.

Similarly, from a global perspective, investment in clean‑energy technologies is accelerating rapidly. According to the International Energy Agency, global investment in clean technologies, including renewables, nuclear, grids, storage, low‑emissions fuels and electrification, reached about $2.2 trillion in 2025, about twice the amount being allocated to fossil‑fuel supply. In 2024, China contributed about $675 billion, roughly one-third of the global total, making it the single biggest investor in clean energy globally. This underlines the scale of its clean-technology sector, from renewables to batteries, electric vehicles (EVs) and grid infrastructure.

Moreover, in the last decade, China's share of global investment in clean energy has risen from about 25 percent to almost a third. This leading position means China is effectively setting the pace for the new energy transition worldwide, mobilizing massive capital flows, shaping supply chains (particularly for solar, batteries and EVs) and creating a global de facto new‑energy pathway in which its benefits flow into global markets and technologies, playing a central role in helping to achieve climate neutrality.

Artists perform during the climate summit in Belem, northern Brazil, November 6, 2025. [Photo/Xinhua]

In 2023 and 2024, China added 649 gigawatts of solar and wind capacity, nearly 60 percent of global installations during that period. Clean generation growth led by solar and wind met 84 percent of China's electricity demand growth in 2024. By 2035, China aims to expand combined wind and solar capacity to around 3,600 gigawatts, six times the 2020 level. These investments not only lower energy costs but also offer concrete pathways toward achieving the Paris Agreement targets.

Since the announcement of its "dual carbon" goals in 2020, peaking carbon emissions before 2030 and achieving carbon neutrality before 2060, China has continued turning vision into policy. In September 2025, Beijing submitted its 2035 Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs), its first mid-term climate target beyond 2030.

The NDCs target a reduction of economy-wide greenhouse gas emissions by 7 to 10 percent from peak levels and an increase of non-fossil fuels in the energy mix to over 30 percent. By emphasizing partial-to-absolute reduction together with intensity-based targets, China demonstrates a balanced way of harmonizing climate ambition with industrial transformation, offering predictable pathways to international partners.

Moreover, early 2025 data show that power-sector carbon dioxide emissions in China have fallen some 2 percent year over year, potentially pointing to an earlier peak than previously expected. The country is on a trajectory that provides valuable lessons for others seeking to expand clean energy without compromising grid stability.

China has also used international cooperation to advance climate action worldwide, especially through the Belt and Road Initiative. By supporting renewable infrastructures, low-carbon industries and green technologies of partner countries, China further enhances global greenhouse gas reduction efforts and shows that economic development and protection of the environment go hand in hand. Technology transfer, financing models and collaborative research under these initiatives provide practical blueprints for countries lacking domestic resources to implement ambitious climate policies.

China's enhanced 2035 NDCs are expected to come to the forefront at the COP30 in Brazil, reflecting consistent policymaking, industrial capability and technological innovation. Chinese leadership has emphasized that climate action is a central national priority directly guided by the state, balancing economic growth with social development and environmental stewardship.

Nonetheless, significant challenges remain, including high upfront capital requirements, managing coal‑reduction targets from the village through provincial levels and achieving absolute emissions cuts, all of which underscore the complexity of meeting these targets.

However, these commitments also align with Articles 4, 6 and 13 of the Paris Agreement, supporting the principle of common but differentiated responsibilities, which takes into account different capacities between developed and developing economies. Despite such differences, all nations are called upon to regard climate change as a shared global concern and set aside geopolitical divisions in meeting the targets agreed upon.

The case of China proves that under conditions of substantial national policy, strategic international cooperation and significant investment in clean energy, climate action is both possible and economically beneficial. Such a model will stand out, highlighting how countries can balance the imperatives of development and environmental protection with global climate interests. 

Yasiru Ranaraja, a special commentator on current affairs for CGTN, is a researcher on maritime affairs and an expert on Belt and Road Initiative development. He is also the founding director of the Belt Road Initiative Sri Lanka, an international development organization and think tank in Sri Lanka.