China's commitment to green transition recognized as COP30 opens in Brazil

The 30th United Nations climate change conference, commonly known as COP30, opened Monday local time in Belem, Brazil, with the aim of putting the fight against climate change back in the center of international priorities, according to local authorities, the Xinhua News Agency reported on Tuesday.

At the opening ceremony, COP30 President Andre Correa do Lago thanked Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva for appointing him and reiterated that COP30 must present solutions. Multilateralism is definitely the way forward in the fight against climate change, he said, Xinhua reported.

Also on local time Monday, the "China Pavilion" series of side events kicked off, with the first session focusing on ecological civilization and the practice of building a "Beautiful China."

Chinese Minister of Ecology and Environment Huang Runqiu said in his opening remarks that as the world faces increasingly severe climate crises, China's actions to combat climate change will not slow down, its efforts to promote international cooperation will not weaken, and its pursuit of building a community with a shared future for humanity will not cease, Xinhua reported.

Liu Zhenmin, China's special envoy for climate change, said at the event that China stands ready to work with the international community for the well-being of all humanity, upholding sovereign equality, the rule of law and multilateralism, advocating a people-centered and action-oriented approach to ensure the success of COP30 and bring greater stability and certainty to the global climate process, per Xinhua.

Amid waning global confidence in climate action and the retreat of some developed countries, China's path toward a green transition has drawn broad international attention and recognition for its solid progress in developing clean energy and promoting global cooperation on climate action to tackle climate challenge, Chinese and foreign experts said.

China's contribution

This year marks the 10th anniversary of the Paris Agreement and the year for submitting a new round of Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) - nations' plans on how they plan to tackle the climate crisis. This makes it a crucial moment for global climate governance.

Participants will discuss national climate plans, push toward the $1.3 trillion annual climate finance goal, and propose new measures to help countries adapt and advance a just transition to a clean economy, per CCTV.

On the opening day, COP30 President Corrêa do Lago noted that China was playing a "very significant" role, highlighting how its green technology, from solar panels to batteries, had driven down costs and transformed the global energy system, the Financial Times reported on Tuesday.

"By lowering the price of all these essential elements in the transition, they are doing an amazing job of international cooperation," Corrêa do Lago was cited by the FT as saying.

A Guardian report on Monday quoted Corrêa do Lago as saying that "China is coming up with solutions that are for everyone, not just China. Solar panels are cheaper, they're so competitive [compared with fossil fuel energy] that they are everywhere now. If you're thinking of climate change, this is good."

China's efforts in energy conservation and emissions reduction are yielding tangible results. According to a report released by Carbon Brief on Tuesday, China's carbon emissions dropped in September and have remained flat or declined for 18 consecutive months since March 2024, with a projected year-on-year decrease of about 3 percent for the month.

The report attributes this progress to the rapid uptake of electric vehicles, which cut CO2 emissions from transportation fuels by 5 percent year-on-year, alongside reductions in cement and steel production. It also highlights the surge in wind and solar power generation during the third quarter as a key driver behind the overall decline in emissions.

Dong Shaopeng, a senior research fellow at the Chongyang Institute for Financial Studies at the Renmin University of China, told the Global Times on Tuesday that China's rapid ascent as a global leader in green energy stems from its strong policy execution, its unique centralized system for efficient resource allocation and its technological breakthroughs.

"The Chinese government is advancing its carbon peaking and carbon neutrality goals with steadfast commitment and strong execution," Dong said. "By leveraging its institutional strength and technological synergies, a rapid transition to clean energy is not only an anticipated outcome but a vital contribution to global climate efforts."

Marcos Cordeiro Pires, a professor at the Department of Political and Economic Sciences at S o Paulo State University in Brazil, told the Global Times that China's technological innovation is serving modern agriculture, services and ecological sectors, and it is poised to help close the gap between partner nations and catalyze a green economic transition, particularly across the developing world.

In 2020, China set out the dual carbon goals of peaking CO2 emissions before 2030 and achieving carbon neutrality before 2060. Five years later, the country has made historic progress in advancing its green and low-carbon transition through concrete actions.

"China has established the most systematic and comprehensive carbon reduction policy framework in the world, built the largest and the fastest-growing renewable energy system, the largest and most complete new energy industrial chain," according to a white paper released by the State Council Information Office on Saturday.

China has blazed a viable trail for developing countries to pursue green and low-carbon development, thereby making significant contributions to global climate action and the sustainable development of humanity, per the paper.

The Chinese government continues to strengthen its commitments and actions on climate change. In late September, China announced its 2035 NDCs, setting out for the first time an absolute emissions reduction target, which marks the country's shift from intensity-based control to total emissions control, according to Xinhua.

Shifting momentum

The US, the world's biggest historic emitter, was notably absent on the first day, with no government officials and few media outlets attending, according to the Guardian.

At the opening plenary, Pakistan's climate secretary, Aisha Humera, said the climate crisis was the biggest human rights violation of our time, the Guardian report said.

A separate report from UN-supported initiative known as the Taskforce on Net Zero Policy said that despite fears of a global climate policy rollback since the [US] retreat, progress had continued. But the "center of gravity" had shifted toward the Asia Pacific and away from the US and EU.

Rich countries have lost enthusiasm for combating the climate crisis while China is surging ahead in producing and using clean energy equipment, Corrêa do Lago said, the Guardian reported. More countries should follow China's lead instead of complaining about being outcompeted, he added.

Chinese industrial policy is shaping the development trajectories of some of the world's fastest-growing economies, a New York Times report on Monday noted. It pointed to the fact that many US and European leaders have expressed alarm at China's growing dominance, which has undercut their own industries.

But the report also stressed that at the summit, plenty of emerging countries seem fine with the trend. "You can't insist that China has to lower its emissions" and then, later, "complain that China is putting cheap EVs all over the world," said Corrêa do Lago.

Dong said this reflects the West's persistent double standards on Chinese green products and achievements. China has built a low-cost, comprehensive green energy industry and supply chain, Dong said, noting that this provides significant opportunities for developing nations and regions to benefit from China's strengths through initiatives such as the Belt and Road.

"Trade barriers erected by certain countries have become major obstacles to global green cooperation, impeding optimal resource allocation and the energy transition process," Dong said, urging these countries to set aside narrow political thinking and prioritize the broader interests of humanity to enhance collaboration with China and other developing nations.

"In Brazil, there is strong hope that partnering with China can spur a new wave of green industry investment, with integration into China's industrial production chains opening significant opportunities for both countries," Pires said, adding that these bilateral dynamics exemplify how China's open and green global cooperation can benefit regional and global breakthroughs in sustainable development.

At a late-October press conference, Xia Yingxian, director of the Ministry of Ecology and Environment's climate change department, called on COP30 to address rising global energy transition costs, especially in developing countries, driven by unilateralism and protectionism.

He stressed the need for a supportive business environment to facilitate the free flow of green and low-carbon products and achieve Paris Agreement goals through cooperation, pledging that China will continue South-South initiatives tailored to the climate and green development needs of developing nations.