From pavilions to policy: China flexes heft in international climate finance

Has China taken the mantle of climate leadership? Goings on in Belem at the COP30 climate conference would suggest so—and not just because of the scale of China's pavilion.

- Jayashree Nandi

Beijing is backing developing countries on the most contentious issue at COP30, article 9.1 which mandates that developed nations provide climate finance to assist developing country parties with their climate change mitigation and adaptation efforts, negotiators said. “China is fighting for developing countries. There is no ambiguity that they are in the developing bloc as per UNFCCC,” said a developing country negotiator.

To be sure, India isn’t far behind either.

The countries have been moving in lockstep on all major finance positions a separate agenda item on 9.1, treating 9.1 as the backbone of the Paris Agreement, and tying mitigation ambition to predictable finance, the negotiators added.