Liu Zhenmin: Insufficient global climate governance cooperation but promising prospects. China is confident in leading the acceleration of energy transition.

Source: Boao Forum for Asia

On the afternoon of March 25, the Boao Forum for Asia 2026 Annual Conference held a sub-forum titled “Challenges and Prospects for Global Climate Governance.” Liu Zhenmin, China’s Special Envoy for Climate Change Affairs, said that over the past 36 years, the international community has responded to climate change through cooperation, and especially after the adoption of the Paris Agreement, overall results have been significant. However, existing cooperation still falls short.

Liu Zhenmin said that the biggest challenge facing the global response to climate change today is that the Trump administration in the United States announced its withdrawal from the Paris Agreement in 2025. As the largest developed country and the initiator of climate negotiations, the U.S. withdrawal has dealt a severe blow to the integrity of multilateral cooperation, shaking international confidence. At the same time, disagreements have emerged within developed countries, weakening overall action, which has further dented global confidence. In addition, developed countries’ funding assistance commitments to developing countries have also become difficult to fulfill.

Despite the many challenges, Liu Zhenmin said he is confident about the prospects. He pointed out that from the 1992 United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change to the 2015 Paris Agreement, the global pathway for responding to climate change has gained broad recognition. The Dubai conference in 2023 also launched the global energy transition process characterized by “just, fair, and orderly” principles, meaning replacing fossil energy with non-fossil energy. This direction has become a consensus, and the key is how to accelerate progress.

China is both the largest emitter and the leading country in new energy. Liu Zhenmin noted that during the 15th Five-Year Plan period, China will strive to ensure that all incremental electricity demand is met by new energy, reduce carbon emissions intensity by 17%, and gradually build a new energy system, basically forming green modes of production and life. By 2030, China’s installed capacity of non-fossil energy could reach around 70%. By 2035, the sales of new-energy vehicles will become mainstream. “China is indeed a leader in the world’s energy transition today, and we are confident in achieving our goals,” Liu Zhenmin said.

(Editor: Wenjing)

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                                                            Climate