China’s Ministry of Ecology and Environment announced on Wednesday that the nation will dispatch a formal delegation to the upcoming COP31 climate conference, scheduled to take place in November in Antalya, Turkey. Ministry officials stated that the delegation aims to actively promote international climate negotiations during the summit.
Speaking at a press conference on Wednesday, Vice Minister of Ecology and the Environment Li Gao outlined Beijing’s priorities for the international gathering. Li stated that China supports the conference in prioritizing implementation and addressing longstanding issues, including what he described as insufficient emissions reductions and inadequate financial support from developed countries. He also pointed to emerging challenges such as unilateralism and protectionism that he argued undermine collective climate action.
During the briefing, Li reaffirmed China’s support for the Paris climate agreement and the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change. He emphasized that progress must be made on climate finance, calling for in-depth discussions on a roadmap for developed countries to deliver a $300 billion climate finance goal by 2035 and to triple adaptation finance. Furthermore, the Vice Minister called for the establishment of international mechanisms to facilitate a just transition, helping developing nations address transition-related challenges and narrow the gap between the Global North and the Global South.
Despite boasting the world’s second-largest economy, China continues to classify itself as a developing nation rather than a developed country under international climate frameworks. This classification exempts Beijing from contributing financially to climate-themed wealth redistribution funds moving from the Global North to the Global South. This posture persists even as the country maintains a near-monopoly on materials essential for green energy products such as solar panels and electric vehicles.
Li highlighted several domestic environmental milestones during his remarks, boasting that China’s solar power capacity has exceeded its coal power capacity for the first time this year. He also asserted that the nation has become the world’s top producer of electric vehicles and leads the world in nuclear power when combining installed capacity with plants currently under construction.
However, these green energy achievements contrast with ongoing reliance on fossil fuels. Li did not mention that China’s coal-fired power generation continues to increase, with consumption forecast to rise by over three percent. This upward trajectory in coal demand stems partly from reduced shipments of liquefied natural gas from the Middle East, driven by regional conflicts, as well as surging electricity demands from data centers, electric vehicles, and air conditioning.
Analysis indicates that while renewable power construction surpassed early transition projections, actual electricity generation has frequently lagged behind demand due to unpredictable weather fluctuations, including poor wind conditions for turbines and droughts or floods affecting hydropower facilities. Consequently, China continues to rely on oil, gas, and coal to meet peak demand and is actively constructing new coal-fired power plants.
Energy analysts have expressed concern regarding potential coal shortages heading into the winter of 2026, as domestic production and imports have experienced declines. Coal inventories were depleted as demand for coal-fired power rose to compensate for diminished liquefied natural gas imports. Domestic production was further constrained following a major disaster at the Liushyenyu Coal Mine that resulted in at least 82 fatalities.
Accounting for more than half of worldwide demand, China remains the world’s largest consumer of coal and the leading global emitter of greenhouse gases. Public health data indicates that air pollution is responsible for approximately two million deaths within the country every year.
