From Paris to Belém

The recently concluded 30th United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP30) in Belém, Brazil, rallied world climate leaders at a symbolic and substantive crossroads. It marks 10 years since the adoption of the Paris Agreement, an era that has seen both meaningful progress in building a global climate governance architecture and persistent shortcomings that threaten the global 1.5 C goal.

On the positive side, the past decade has witnessed the establishment of Nationally Determined Contributions — efforts by each country to reduce national emissions and adapt to the impacts of climate change — as a universal framework and the steady expansion of global climate finance. However, the gaps between ambition and implementation have widened. Many developed countries are still far from meeting their financial commitments, while developing countries continue to struggle with access to technologies and affordable capital. And debate continues over how to equitably share the responsibilities.

Navigating this increasingly uncertain landscape requires genuine leadership and sustained commitment. Facing these complexities, China has been steadily fulfilling its climate pledges and its long-term green transition goals, and has emerged as an important stabilizing force in global climate governance. Over the past decade, China has consistently delivered the climate commitments it made under the Paris Agreement framework. It has also become the world leader in renewable energy deployment, with wind and solar capacity surpassing that of all other countries combined. The nation has also advanced its dual carbon strategy, steadily reducing its carbon intensity while accelerating the shift toward clean electricity, green transportation and low-carbon industry. China's rapid expansion of new quality productive forces, particularly in electric vehicles, energy storage and photovoltaics, has dramatically reduced the global cost curve for clean technologies, making the green transition more accessible for developing nations.

This technological momentum in China is not an isolated phenomenon or driven by short-term policy cycles. Instead, it is deeply rooted in China's broader institutional approach to green development and a governance system that embeds climate goals into long-term national development strategies. To deepen green and low-carbon transformation and integrate climate objectives into the broader modernization agenda, the Recommendations of the 20th Central Committee of the Communist Party of China for Formulating the 15th Five-Year Plan (2026-30)for National Economic and Social Development have further outlined a comprehensive road map for fostering a robust market for a new energy system, modernizing green industries and advancing ecological conservation. These institutional arrangements ensure that China's climate action forms a coherent, sustained trajectory rather than a series of fragmented efforts.

Such institutional strength is particularly valuable at a time when global climate governance is strained by fragmentation, shifting geopolitical dynamics and growing skepticism about the capacity of major economies to deliver on their pledges. China's approach demonstrates that climate action can be both ambitious and achievable when anchored in long-term planning and integrated into national development strategies. It also provides a compelling model for emerging economies seeking to balance growth, stability and decarbonization.

A decade after the Paris Agreement, the global community faces mounting climate pressure, contested responsibilities and wavering political will. Just as COP30 closed, disagreements over leadership and responsibility, absence of US representation at the conference coupled with mounting disappointment regarding the global 1.5 C goal, which is likely to be missed, and failure to seal any fossil fuel phaseout plan in the final deal, have surfaced.

To cover up its own lack of leadership, European officials argued that China's upgraded targets for the NDCs should be more ambitious, despite China already being on track to peak emissions ahead of schedule and having delivered the world's largest absolute gains in renewable capacity.

The debate is further complicated by the European Union's introduction of the Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism, which many developing countries view as a form of green protectionism. While the EU has framed CBAM as a tool to prevent carbon leakage and uphold global climate leadership, its design places disproportionate burdens on exporters from the Global South and risks transforming climate responsibility into a trade barrier. From the perspective of China and many other emerging economies, true climate leadership is not measured by unilateral mechanisms or accusatory diplomacy, but by the willingness to share technology, mobilize finance and help partners strengthen their own climate resilience. Climate action should unite nations in cooperation, not divide them through punitive measures or disguised tariffs. Moreover, responsibility must be matched with capability, ambition must align with developmental realities, and cooperation must remain the central pillar of global climate governance. Thus, China emphasizes the need for joint action, inclusive decision-making and practical support for developing countries through South-South cooperation.

Today, the world urgently needs a renewed spirit of collaboration. The Paris Agreement remains a milestone in international climate governance, but its success depends on the credibility of national actions and the fairness of burden-sharing arrangements. In Belém, China reaffirmed its commitment to a fair, reasonable and cooperative global climate framework. It will continue to oppose the use of climate policy as a pretext for protectionism, and instead promote dialogue, innovation and shared progress. With its own green transition gaining momentum and its institutional foundations becoming stronger, China is prepared to bring not only ambition but also concrete pathways and workable solutions to the global stage.

A decade after the Paris Agreement, the world stands at another critical juncture. Meeting the 1.5 C target will require greater efforts, renewed trust, deeper cooperation and credible leadership. China's example shows that climate ambition can be aligned with national development realities and rhetoric must be matched with real action. China's green transition, which is shaped by institutional confidence, long-term planning and a firm commitment to high-quality development, offers not only a model for national transformation but also a stabilizing force for global efforts.

As we look to the future, the measure of leadership will not be who delivers the most ambitious rhetoric, but who provides practical pathways, inclusive partnerships and sustained contributions toward a shared low-carbon future. On all these fronts, China stands ready to contribute its wisdom, its capabilities and its enduring sense of responsibility to the global climate cause.

The author is a researcher at the Academy of Financial Research at Zhejiang University, a researcher at the Zhejiang International Base for Science & Technology Exchange: Fintech and Big Data Analysis, and an assistant professor at Zhejiang University International Business School. The author contributed this article to China Watch, a think tank powered by China Daily.

The views do not necessarily reflect those of China Daily.

Contact the editor at editor@chinawatch.cn.