At pivotal moment, China injects momentum into global climate governance

The 10th anniversary of the Paris Agreement comes at a pivotal moment for global climate governance. As the world faces mounting climate challenges and faltering commitments from some major economies, China has stepped forward with fresh pledges and concrete acts that bolster confidence, build consensus and inject new momentum into multilateral action.

In video remarks to the United Nations Climate Summit held in New York on Wednesday local time, Chinese President Xi Jinping called for shoring up confidence, living up to responsibilities, and strengthening cooperation.

China, as a key driver and active practitioner of the Paris Agreement, has remained steadfast in its conviction and resolute in its actions on climate governance.

In his video remarks, Xi announced China's new Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) as follows: China will, by 2035, reduce economy-wide net greenhouse gas emissions by 7 percent to 10 percent from peak levels, striving to do better; increase the share of non-fossil fuels in total energy consumption to over 30 percent; expand the installed capacity of wind and solar power to over six times the 2020 levels, striving to bring the total to 3,600 gigawatts; scale up the total forest stock volume to over 24 billion cubic meters; make new energy vehicles the mainstream in the sales of new vehicles; expand the National Carbon Emissions Trading Market to cover major high-emission sectors; and basically establish a climate adaptive society.

These targets not only align with the requirements of the Paris Agreement but also embody China's utmost efforts, highlighting China's contribution to global green transition.

Over the past decade, China has been promoting cooperation on tackling climate change among Global South countries. With the world's largest and most complete new-energy industrial chain, China is home to 70 percent of photovoltaic components and 60 percent of wind power equipment worldwide, bringing down the global costs of wind and solar power generation by more than 60 percent and 80 percent, respectively.

As of September 2025, China has signed 54 climate-related South-South cooperation agreements with 42 developing countries and hosted over 300 capacity-building workshops. China has also provided and mobilized a total of 177 billion yuan (about 24.8 billion U.S. dollars) in project funds since 2016 to support developing countries in addressing climate change.

Behind China's new pledges and actions lies a broader vision: building a community with a shared future for humanity. China has always closely linked its own development with that of the whole world and has been making active efforts to promote global sustainable development. Committed to upholding the United Nations (UN) climate framework, China repeatedly calls for respect for the right to development of developing countries and urges developed countries to honor their obligations and provide more funding and technology for global green transition.

This approach seeks not only to narrow the North-South gap but also foster a fairer and more cooperative global climate governance system.

The path to addressing climate change remains long and arduous, but China is proving that commitment matched with action can chart a way forward. By honoring its word and working together with all of its partners, China is helping to safeguard our planet and shape a greener, more sustainable future.