China leads other countries to pledge emissions cut by 2035

China on Wednesday led a group of countries in unveiling new climate commitments, promising to cut its greenhouse gas emissions by 7–10% from peak levels by 2035, while significantly expanding renewable energy capacity.

Speaking via video link at a climate leaders’ summit hosted by UN Secretary-General António Guterres on Wednesday, President Xi Jinping said Beijing would boost wind and solar power generation to six times its 2020 levels within the next decade. This, he added, would lift the share of non-fossil fuels in China’s energy mix to more than 30%.

The move marks the first time the world’s largest carbon emitter has pledged an outright reduction in emissions, though analysts described the target as modest compared to expectations. Xi also called for greater ambition from developed countries, delivering a veiled criticism of the United States for rolling back on climate commitments.

“Green and low-carbon transformation is the trend of our times,” Xi said. “Despite some countries going against the trend, the international community should stay on the right track.”

His comments followed U.S. President Donald Trump’s address to the UN General Assembly on Tuesday, where he dismissed climate change as a “con job,” ridiculed scientists, and confirmed a renewed U.S. withdrawal from the Paris Agreement. Washington remains the world’s largest historical polluter and its second-biggest current emitter after China.

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Still, many environmental advocates were underwhelmed by China’s pledge, pointing out that its booming renewable sector and electric vehicle industry could support deeper cuts. Li Shuo, of the Asia Society’s China Climate Hub, said the plan reflected Beijing’s cautious, incremental style.

Other major economies also tabled fresh targets ahead of this year’s COP30 summit in Brazil. President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva said Brazil would cut emissions by up to 67% by 2035 while strengthening anti-deforestation efforts. The European Union is drafting a 2035 goal of slashing emissions by as much as 72%, while Australia pledged a 62–70% reduction from 2005 levels.

But Guterres warned that global ambition remains inadequate to keep warming within 1.5°C, the central aim of the Paris pact. “Now, we need new plans for 2035 that go much further, much faster,” he said.

Small island nations, among the most vulnerable to climate shocks, pressed for stronger accountability. Palau’s President Surangel Whipps invoked a recent International Court of Justice opinion affirming countries’ legal duty to act. “Those with the greatest responsibility and the greatest capacity to act must do far more,” he urged.

Despite signs of progress, scientists say the world is still far from where it needs to be. The planet has already warmed by more than 1.2°C since pre-industrial times, and current pledges fall short of the action required to avert more severe climate disruption.