Beijing makes plans for a green future

Is ‘ecological civilisation’ an empty slogan or a call to arms? Xi Jinping’s vision for a sustainable future was showcased at the opening of the UN biodiversity summit in Kunming last week, but the country remains dependent on coal

- Patrick Greenfield and Vincent Ni

Last week , China took charge of hosting a major UN environmental conference for the first time, at the opening of Co p15 in Kunming . The world’s biggest greenhouse gas emitter and largest consumer of natural resources might seem a strange choice to host talks to stop the destruction of eco systems and mass extinctions of wildlife, but the conference marks a tipping point in China’s development and an international debut for “ecological civilisation”, a little-known phrase outside its borders with big implications for the planet.

As uncertainty over whether President Xi Jinping would attend critical climate talks at Co p26 became confirmation that he won’t be in Glasgow at the end of the month, the environmental slogan is at the heart of a potential misunderstanding between China and the west. Some commentators have been quick to suggest that Xi’s absence is proof that China has reverted to type, an example of the world leaders who “talk but don’t do”, who have so irritated Queen Elizabeth II who will be present.

But others point out that Xi, who has not left China since last year and did not even travel to Kunming for the Cop15 summit , has been clear about his guiding principles on the environment.

“We shall take the development of an ecological civilisation as our guide to coordinate the relationship between man and nature,” Xi said in his keynote speech at the largely ceremonial opening of Cop15 in the southern province of Yunnan last Tuesday , where he announced a $233m fund to protect biodiversity in developing countries. Governments are expected to reach a Paris-style UN agreement for nature during phase two of the summit next year by agreeing targets on reducing pollution, halting the spread of invasive species and increasing protected areas.