BREAKING: China's National People's Congress will convene its 2026 session on March 5, 2026. Besides routine agenda items, it will also review China’s 15th Five-Year Plan and 3 legislative bills: an environmental code, a law governing five-year plans & a law on promoting ethnic unity and progress.

China's clean power capacity additions picked up in November, with 13GW of wind and 21GW solar. China has already added almost as much wind&solar in Jan-Nov as in the full year 2024, ahead of the end-of-year and end-of-five-year-plan spike expected in December.

NEW – IEA: Declining coal demand in China set to outweigh Trump’s pro-coal policies | @joshgabbatiss.bsky.social Read here: buff.ly/OoaWOf4

I’m delighted to announce that I’ve been chosen as the new Section Editor (China) at @carbonbrief.org! I look forward to guiding the next phase of our China content. As always, please do reach out with your new reports, papers or interesting nuggets of information!

Great conversation with anikapatel.carbonbrief.org @carbonbrief.org about my book and China’s climate policy implementation. We discussed how mid-level bureaucrats act as entrepreneurial “bridge leaders” and what this means for China’s climate governance and its emerging global climate leadership.

NEW - Climate expert @weilagong.bsky.social explains the vital role local Chinese bureaucrats play in helping shape climate policy She explains what motivates these officials, how they push through new ideas and how they ensure their changes last Read more in our conversation in @carbonbrief.org ⬇️

NEW - In the past two weeks, China: 🌡️ saw coal generation go up after heatwaves 🤝 set up a new critical minerals alliance 💹 confirmed its carbon market will cover more sectors Plus, I outline what China said and did at COP30 All that and more in my latest China Briefing for @carbonbrief.org ⬇️

NEW – Webinar: Carbon Brief’s third ‘ask us anything’ at COP30 Read here: buff.ly/r0NNKcO

OUT NOW: All you need to know about COP30, brought to you by @carbonbrief.org Our 20k word explainer breaks down: 🛢️ What happened with the fossil fuel roadmap push? 💰 Who wanted (and got) what on climate finance? 🇨🇳 Did China step up as a climate leader? Find out here ⬇️

China at the #COP30 closing session: "History will remember the footprint that was left in Belém" "As a developing country, China will continue to promote global climate governance"

Intervention by 🇮🇳 on behalf of 🇧🇷🇿🇦🇮🇳🇨🇳 BASIC, following the suspension of the closing plenary at COP30 Says intervening countries hold "extreme positions" Adds: "It is in our interest to make sure climate multilateralism succeeds"

++CLIMATE FINANCE! IN THE MUTIRÃO++ Article 9.1 – referring to finance provided by developed countries Key issue for LMDCs, Arab Group, who initially called for a 3-year work programme. Text has a 2-year programme on all climate finance from developed countries, including e.g. private finance.

China is not on the list. Unsurprising, but still notable given the number of global south countries that are.

COP30 COVER TEXT: The Brazilian presidency has published a first draft "global mutirão" text on the "big four" issues at COP30 – finance, 1.5C, trade & transparency Options inc a "Belém roadmap to 1.5C", national FF roadmaps, tripling adaptation finance and more NB this is only a draft!

Insane queues for freebies from the COP30 China pavilion last night

Pollinators and politics in China: jeffollerton.co.uk/2025/11/14/p... #China #Bees #Pollinators #Biodiversity

At the China pavilion today, China launched a new global training dataset for AI-powered weather forecasting, meant to help other countries with early warnings for extreme weather MEE officials said that they have also trained 600+ people from 100+ countries on best practice for climate adaptation

Feeling COP FOMO? Our @carbonbrief.org COP30 Special breaks down what China has been saying and doing in Belem this week Featuring: 👊 Fights over climate finance and NDC ambition 📉 Pressure on a fossil fuel phaseout 🗺️ South-south cooperation galore Find out more ⬇️

NEW – Webinar: Carbon Brief’s first ‘ask us anything’ at COP30 | @drsimevans.carbonbrief.org @daisydunne.carbonbrief.org @joshgabbatiss.bsky.social @arunacsekhar.bsky.social @mollylempriere.carbonbrief.org @anikanpatel.carbonbrief.org Watch the recording ⬇️

I've made a spreadsheet with the event schedules for COP30 pavilions, including the UK 🇬🇧 Japan 🇯🇵 Indonesia 🇮🇩 Australia 🇦🇺 and China 🇨🇳 The UNFCCC has a schedule list, but hardly any of the major pavilions are on there. I'll update the list as I collect more ⬇️ docs.google.com/spreadsheets...

NEW from me: CO2 emissions in China have now been flat or falling for 18 months, the first time that energy demand growth at or above historical averages doesn't drive emissions up, thanks to the clean energy boom. 🧵👇

It's absolutely packed at the China Pavilion this afternoon at COP30 as China hosts an event on south-south climate cooperation Speakers include Huang Runqiu, Liu Zhenmin and Ana Toni, with several Chinese environment officials (current and former) in the front row

I'm in Belém for week 1 of COP30, covering China's role at the negotiations. If you're around and have time for a coffee, let me know!

#COP30 AGENDA FIGHT: Battle looms over which issues to discuss at COP30 (an "agenda fight") Proposed late additions to agenda: * trade * finance * deforestation * ambition * reporting Hence, now on 4th version of agenda (!) This must be resolved before negotiations begin 🧵 1/

🇨🇳☎️🇬🇧 China’s Wang Yi & UK’s Yvette Cooper discuss bilateral ties amid global turbulence. Both stress calm dialogue, equality, & shared responsibility on climate, trade & security — agreeing to “address reasonable concerns on an equal footing.” #ChinaUK #Diplomacy #Geopolitics

It’s that time of the year. @joshgabbatiss.bsky.social @mollylempriere.carbonbrief.org and I trawled through hundreds of govt submissions to bring you the COP30 edition of @carbonbrief.org’s Who Wants What.

UPDATED: Yesterday, China released its full 2035 climate pledge, building on Xi's UN speech. Our updated @carbonbrief.org analysis dives into the details, inc: 🌎 What the NDC says about the US 🗞️ Reactions to the targets ⚡ China's 2035 plans for coal Find out more ⬇️

China Briefing | 15th ‘five-year plan’ priorities; 2035 wind goal; ‘Vehicle-to-grid’ tech ✍️ @wanyuansong.bsky.social Read here ➡️ buff.ly/DY9ol3f Sign up to China Briefing ➡️ buff.ly/aLTmtZN

Carbon Brief is introducing the COP30 Insider Pass for those who need more than headlines from Belem. What the pass gives you access to: 📲 An invite-only WhatsApp group 📩 A daily email newsletter 🗣️ ​​3 exclusive 'Ask Us Anything' webinars Sign up ⬇️

Our analysis looks at the aviation emission reduction plans of the biggest players: 🇪🇺 EU: limited scope of the EUETS 🇬🇧 UK: unambitious, demand set to soar 🇺🇸 US: few commitments, SAF policy weakened 🇨🇳China: airline, airport targets, no differentiation between domestic & intl bit.ly/CAT_Aviation...

NEW - What happened in 🇨🇳's climate + energy space in the last 2 weeks: 🛳️ New rare earth, magnet and battery export controls ☀️ Proposal to broaden provinces' renewable energy quotas 📈 IEA says 🇨🇳 could hit 2035 wind and solar target in 2030 Find our more in my latest @carbonbrief.org China Briefing⬇

NEW - Only 18 of China's provinces have finalised plans for how they are going to price wind and solar power. The other half - which make up 40% of China's CO2 emissions - have until the end of the year to get their systems in place. Find out more in my latest article for @carbonbrief.org ⬇️

Since tweets like this continue to travel and I get similar responses every time I post something positive about China, it's maybe good to point out where China's progress on clean energy is and isn't world-leading and/or game-changing. 🧵

"🇨🇳 🇰🇷 🇪🇺 Chinese new car volumes outpaced Korean models across Western Europe for the first time during September, according to exclusive @autoschmidt.bsky.social research" #alwaysbecharging www.linkedin.com/posts/matthi...

FACTCHECK: What the Climate Change Act actually means for the UK – and what is a load of old nonsense Really enjoyed putting this together with colleagues, inc learning new things about the fascinating backstory to the Act Feat. OG authors of the Act & more www.carbonbrief.org/factcheck-wh...

That chart 📊

Communities in Zambia have filed lawsuits seeking $80B in damages from Sino Metals after a February mining spill. Chinese social media is now openly debating the case.

I was delighted to speak alongside some of the foremost experts on China's climate developments in a webinar on the country's new NDC targets. It's well worth a listen for anyone wondering how China can still be seen as a climate leader, despite the NDC's low-ball targets!

NEW – Q&A: What does China’s new Paris Agreement pledge mean for climate action? | @anikanpatel.carbonbrief.org @drsimevans.carbonbrief.org Read here: buff.ly/WI735tD

China Briefing | MEE on the move; AI and energy; BRICS and climate ✍️ @anikanpatel.carbonbrief.org Read here ➡️ buff.ly/A1ESWPw Sign up to China Briefing here ⬇️ subscribe.carbonbrief.org

NEW - Is BRICS the next climate leader? BRICS is in the news due to Trump and tariffs, but the group also has an interesting dynamic when it comes to climate 🇨🇳🇧🇷🇮🇳 have pushed fossil fuels to <50% of power + BRICS are shaping COP outcomes Read more in my new @carbonbrief.org piece (link below)

These Chinese EV Makers Will Never Be Profitable you hear this a lot, FT today shows what's up: profitable: BYD, GEELY, GWM, SAIC, SERES, Changan, Li Auto, LEAPMOTOR 🇨🇳 soon? Haima, JAC, XPENG, BAIC, GAC (?), NIO (?) ⚡️⚡️⚡️ #alwaysbecharging www.ft.com/content/5f73...

Someone should tell the economic geniuses running our trade policies about the existence of inventories! 🧵

🚨New Article🚨 What happens after a major climate disaster in developing and authoritarian contexts? My new study ‪@commsearth.nature.com‬ examines how citizens made adaptation demands to local governments in 🇨🇳 after the 2021 Henan flood. doi.org/10.1038/s432... 🧵 1/10

In a new paper, Kevin Zongzhe Li, Affiliated Researcher for the #CenterforChinaAnalysis, examines Indonesia’s evolving energy transition strategy through the lens of its deepening, but increasingly complex, relationship with China.

Delighted to speak with Zeyi about how China is fuelling a massive uptake of solar power across Africa

You can read the report here! climateanalytics.org/publications...

NEW from me: Clean energy growth helped China’s CO2 emissions fall 1% year-on-year in the first half of 2025, extending a declining trend that started in March 2024. Power sector CO2 fell 3% as growth in solar power alone matched the rise in electricity demand.

China's energy transition has a formidable challenge: cement. @climateanalytics.org explains how to tackle cement's CO2 emissions in today's China Briefing www.carbonbrief.org/china-briefi... Plus: 📉 CO2 emissions fall 1% Jan-Jun 🚗 Cleantech exports rise 🏔️ Officials hail Xi's 'two mountains' speech