People pose for a picture with a COP30 banner at a tourist port in Belém, Brazil, on November 9, 2025. Photo: AFP

Editor's Note: 

The 30th Conference of the Parties (COP30) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change is being held in Belém, Brazil, where government officials, business delegates and experts from around the world have gathered to discuss priority actions to address climate change. Global Times (GT) reporter Liu Xuandi interviewed Siddharth Chatterjee (Chatterjee), UN resident coordinator in China, who said that China's increased scale, experience and leadership would help transform COP30 from dialogue to delivery.

GT: As a senior expert having worked in the UN system for almost three decades, what do you perceive as the most pressing challenges facing global climate action today?

Chatterjee: We are now entering a "new era" of climate action, but one that is also defined by urgency and complexity. From my nearly three decades in the UN system, I see three intertwined and urgent challenges: The first one is how to achieve deep and rapid emissions reductions. The window to limit warming to 1.5 C is closing fast, and deep, rapid, sustained cuts across all sectors are needed. 

Second, the need to scale adaptation and resilience. Negative impacts including extreme weather, food and water insecurity are disproportionately affecting vulnerable populations, while the gap between adaptation needs and actual support remains wide. 

Third, bridging the equity, finance, and implementation gaps. The Paris Agreement emphasizes "common but differentiated responsibilities," but developing countries often face finance, technology and capacity constraints. Moving from ambition to concrete delivery remains the core challenge. These challenges point to a moment of both tremendous possibility and profound risk. Without moving from ambition to concrete delivery and supporting the most vulnerable, the "new era" may become a lost opportunity.

GT: Chinese President Xi Jinping announced China's new Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) for 2035 during the UN Climate Summit on September 24. Based on your in-depth observations since taking office as UN resident coordinator in China in 2021, what do these advancements reveal about China's resolve in addressing climate change? How significant are these contributions to global climate action?

Chatterjee: President Xi's announcement of China's updated NDCs for 2035 demonstrates a tangible commitment to the multilateral climate architecture under the UN and the Paris Agreement. Combined with the fact that China's installed renewable power capacity reached about 1.41 billion kilowatts, over 40 percent of its power capacity, at the end of 2024, this signals that China is aligning major parts of its domestic energy system with climate goals. 

From my point of view, since arriving in China in 2021, these developments underscore several critical points: First, climate action is integral to China's development model - a core element of its economic transformation rather than a side-project. Second, the scale of China's transition carries global significance. China's progress influences the global emissions trajectory. Third, China's experience has shown that the transition can be compatible with economic growth, reinforcing the message that developing countries can also pursue a green development path.

GT: In your view, what unique contributions has China made to the global green transition, and what innovative pathways and practical experiences has it provided for climate action worldwide?

Chatterjee: China brings several distinctive contributions that resonate globally. Its manufacturing scale and cost curves in solar panels, wind turbines and batteries, as well as its leadership in clean-energy supply chains, have helped drive down global costs, making renewable deployment more accessible worldwide. 

China has also shown that the rapid deployment of renewables, grid integration and system transitions could happen at an unprecedented speed and scale. In addition, China has advanced South-South cooperation by increasingly promoting green-technology cooperation, financing and partnerships with other developing countries. This helps spread benefits beyond China's borders, enabling more inclusive green transitions. 

In policy experimentation, China's piloting of emission trading schemes, large-scale afforestation projects, and its emphasis on integrating low-carbon transitions into deep economic restructuring provide replicable policy pathways for other nations. China's pathway reinforces the idea that green transitions are development transitions - not just emissions reductions.

GT: Since its participation in the COP1 in 1995, China has consistently attended every session of the UN climate change conferences. How would you describe the evolution of China's role within the global climate governance system in the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change context?

Chatterjee: Over time, as China's economy grew and clean-energy deployment expanded, China's stance shifted, becoming more engaged and proactive. With its submission of updated NDCs, China is increasingly shaping the global agenda rather than simply responding to it. In the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change context, China has become both a major stakeholder and a system-shaper. 

GT: According to the 2025 annual report on China's policies and actions to address climate change recently released by the Ministry of Ecology and Environment of China, China outlines its key positions and propositions for the COP30, including promoting a fair and more equitable global green transition. What is the significance of this proposition to the global climate governance system? 

Chatterjee: The proposition places equity, access and capacity at the heart of climate governance. In global climate architecture, this means recognizing that developing countries must not simply follow a one-size-fits-all model: They need affordable, accessible green technologies, as well as financial support, capacity strengthening and inclusive participation. This approach strengthens the legitimacy and effectiveness of global climate governance by bridging ambition and fairness. 

China's role in this domain is significant in multiple respects: As a major developing country, China speaks from experience about development and industrialization. Through technology exports, clean-energy infrastructure investment, South-South partnerships and role-modelling, China is helping other developing countries gain access to green transitions. By promoting the idea that global transitions must be people-centered, development-centered and equity-aware, China is advancing climate justice and amplifying Global South agency in a system historically biased toward developed-country priorities. That leadership helps refine the global governance system toward a more inclusive, just and effective architecture.

GT: The COP30 is positioned as the "COP of Implementation" - a historic moment where global consensus on clean energy, resilient infrastructure and sustainable food systems translates into concrete actions. What are your expectations for the COP30, and what role do you envision China playing in this process?

Chatterjee: I expect COP30 to become a milestone conference, not just of pledges but of concrete implementation frameworks. I anticipate that we will see major announcements on scaling renewables and clean energy, commitments to resilient infrastructure and sustainable food systems, and concrete implementation road-maps with investment pipelines and transparency tools. 

By deepening its own clean-energy deployment and structural reform, China strengthens global confidence. Simultaneously, through international cooperation, finance and policy sharing, China can help scale global implementation, especially among developing countries. China can help connect ambition with action, convert global frameworks into country-level delivery, and anchor the "COP of Implementation" in real-world deployment.