China takes on bigger role as US sidesteps climate summit

Its dominance in renewable energy and EVs is bolstering its position in climate diplomacy

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With the US absent from the UN's 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.

Those were Washington's roles, but they now reside with Beijing.

"Water flows to where there is space, and diplomacy often does the same," Mr Francesco La Camera, director-general at the International Renewable Energy Agency, told Reuters.

He said China's dominance in renewable energy and electric vehicles (EVs) was bolstering its position in climate diplomacy.

China's transformation from a quiet presence at the UN's Conference of the Parties summits to a more central player seeking the world's attention reflects a shift in the fight against global warming since US President Donald Trump's return to office.

Long a sceptic of climate change, Mr Trump has again pulled the US - the world's largest historical emitter - from the landmark international Paris Agreement to limit global warming. In 2025, for the first time ever, he declined to send an official high-level delegation to represent US interests at the summit.

"President Trump will not jeopardise our country's economic and national security to pursue vague climate goals that are killing other countries," White House spokeswoman Taylor Rogers told Reuters.