The United States is absent from the United Nations’ annual international climate conference for the first time in three decades, leaving a leadership vacuum. China has taken the lead in tackling global warming. The Chinese pavilion dominates the entrance to the COP30 conference in Belém,
Brazil. Executives from the country’s largest renewable energy companies are presenting their vision for a greener future. Behind the scenes, Chinese diplomats are working to ensure constructive discussions. Washington used to play that role. Now that role has shifted to Beijing.“Where there is a vacuum, water flows,” said Francesco La Camera, director-general of the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA).
“Sometimes diplomacy works the same way.”La Camera added that China’s dominance in renewable energy and electric vehicles is strengthening its position in climate diplomacy. China’s presence at the UN Conference of the Parties (COP) was once a silent one. But the country is now keen to grab the world’s attention. This year’s conference has seen it transform into a major player.
New reality
Analysts say China's shift in stance on climate change since US President Donald Trump took office reflects a new reality. Trump has long been a climate sceptic. He has also withdrawn the United States, the world's largest polluter in history, from the Paris Agreement.
He also did not send a US delegation to this year's climate conference. "President Trump will not risk our country's economic and national security to meet vague climate goals that are derailing other countries," White House spokesman Taylor Rogers said. But critics warn that the US's withdrawal from the process is giving up valuable space in the climate talks. China, currently the world's top greenhouse gas emitter, is rapidly expanding its renewable energy and electric vehicle industries.
California Governor Gavin Newsom visited the conference. "China understands this," he said. "If we don't wake up, the US will fall behind competitively." "It will be too late for the United States to understand what China is doing, how it is dominating the supply chain, how it is taking control of the manufacturing sector, how it is flooding the market."
Beautiful world
Last year, China’s pavilion was very modest. It had a few seats. Last year, its activities were limited to technical and academic discussions. This year, China’s large pavilion, next to the pavilion of host country Brazil, is attracting visitors. “Let’s advance climate cooperation and build a clean, beautiful world together,” said Meng Jiangfeng, vice president of Chinese battery maker CATL, on Thursday. This year’s COP president,
André Correa do Lago and CEO Anna De Toni both praised China’s leadership in clean energy technology. “China has not only led its own energy revolution, but because of China’s huge production capacity, we can now buy low-carbon technology at competitive prices,” De Toni said.
In the role of covert
According to current and former negotiators, China is now playing a more subtle and effective role behind the scenes, filling the gaps left by the United States. Previously, that role was Washington’s. A senior diplomat, speaking on condition of anonymity, said that China is gradually acting as a guarantor of the climate system. They have invested heavily in the green economy. Any setbacks in this system would also hurt them.
A Brazilian diplomat said that China has played a bigger role in reaching consensus on the COP30 agenda this year than last year. In previous years, they would only come forward if there was a serious issue. Sue Biniaz, a former U.S. climate envoy and one of the architects of the Paris Agreement, said that China is able to bring together countries from developing countries to major emerging economies. They end up producing results that no one can easily veto. Biniaz, however, expressed doubts about China’s leadership role.
He said that if China really wanted to show leadership, it would set more ambitious targets to reduce carbon emissions. Li Shuo, a long-time Chinese observer at the UN climate talks and head of the China Climate Hub at the Asia Society Policy Institute, countered. He said China's position in the technology sector proves that it is taking a political lead, because Chinese companies are developing technologies that are making the UN climate commitments a reality.
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