COP30 concludes, highlighting China’s contribution to climate

<article><section data-type="rtext"><img data-alt="Attendees participate in the closing COP30 plenary session at the Hangar Convention Center in Belem, Brazil on 22 November 2025. The 30th UN Climate Change Conference (COP30) went into overtime on November 22, 2025. Photo: VCG" src="//img.huanqiucdn.cn/dp/api/files/imageDir/8899bfcce9f6268d1456869ed024340a.jpeg?imageView2/2/w/750" />The 30th UN Climate Change Conference (COP30) concluded in Belem, Brazil on Saturday with the adoption of a plan calling for a global mobilization against climate change. Participants highlighted China's constructive role as a steward of global climate change, underscoring the importance of broad cooperation to advance shared climate goals. Participants approved a document titled "Global Mutirao: Uniting humanity in a global mobilization against climate change" during its closing session, Xinhua News Agency reported. China welcomed the Global Mutirao Decision reached at this year's UN climate conference, describing it as a "hard-won" outcome that demonstrates solidarity in tackling climate change. The remarks from Li Gao, head of the Chinese delegation to COP30, came after the conference concluded on Saturday afternoon — a day later than scheduled. Parties reached a series of outcomes in Belem, and the Global Mutirao Decision, named after the Brazilian term for collective action that covers climate mitigation, adaptation, finance and international cooperation, is the most important, said Li, who is also a vice minister of China's ecology and environment. Reaching this agreement was truly hard-won, given the challenges to global climate governance posed by rising unilateralism, protectionism and the US' withdrawal from the 2015 Paris Agreement, Li said. "It demonstrates the strong political will of all parties to work together in solidarity to address climate change," he stressed. China's pavilion saw a striking rise in prominence and influence at this year's COP. In the past, China's booth had been relatively marginal in terms of foot traffic, size and location. This year, however, it occupied a prime central position for the first time, with a larger and more conspicuous space that drew unprecedented crowds, Ma Jun, director of the Institute of Public and Environmental Affairs, told the Global Times. Events ran continuously from morning until late at night, and even when other countries' pavilions had already gone dark, China's pavilion remained packed, Ma said. Ma added that the most notable shift this year was the surge in international participation. Delegates from around the world — particularly from the Global South — attended in large numbers. Whether sessions were conducted in Chinese or English, the pavilion consistently attracted foreign visitors listening attentively with interpretation headsets, creating a level of diversity and engagement not seen in previous years. China has made "a great contribution" in developing innovative green technologies and has supported the Global South in responding to climate change, Brazilian Minister of Environment and Climate Change Marina Silva told Xinhua. International media also took note of China's rising importance in leading global climate governance. An NBC article published last week said that "as the US is absent from the UN annual international climate summit for the first time in three decades, China is stepping into the limelight as a leader in the fight against global warming." "Its country pavilion dominates the entrance hall of the sprawling COP30 conference grounds in Brazil's Amazon city of Belem, executives from its biggest clean energy companies are presenting their visions for a green future to large audiences in English, and its diplomats are working behind the scenes to ensure constructive talks," NBC reported. The Guardian noted that "China has a long history of underpromising and overdelivering. A glance at its real economy shows that renewable energy is speeding ahead, accounting for more than half of the country's generating capacity and more than a third of its energy consumption. Half of all cars sold in China are electric vehicles, and China's exports of solar and wind components have fueled an uptake of renewables around the world that has outstripped predictions." The US absence is also notable at this year's COP. NBC reported that as representatives from nearly 200 nations were wrapping up talks at the COP30 this week, "the US was not only absent, but the Trump administration also introduced a series of sweeping proposals to roll back environmental protections and encourage fossil fuel drilling." The absence of the US was a palpable yet unspoken void for participants. That vacuum left by US' withdrawal from the Paris Agreement inevitably weakens the global climate governance system and places greater strain on an already fragile multilateral process, said Ma.</section></article>

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