China’s Climate Action Makes Significant Progress, Paving the Way for Green Development
Beijing (ANTARA) — China’s efforts to respond to climate change have achieved significant results in recent years and are gradually establishing a green, low-carbon development pathway, a senior environmental official said on Wednesday (21 October).
Li Gao, China’s Vice Minister of Ecology and Environment, made the remarks at a press conference launching the Ministry of Ecology and Environment’s annual report on the country’s climate-change policies and actions.
The report showed that in 2025, China’s carbon dioxide emissions per unit of gross domestic product (GDP) were 17.7 per cent lower than in 2020. Non-fossil energy accounted for 21.7 per cent of total energy consumption. Combined installed wind and solar power capacity reached 1.84 billion kilowatts, while forest stock volume stood at 20.99 billion cubic metres.
The progress has been supported by the country’s continued efforts to accelerate its green and low-carbon transition. China has built the world’s largest and most comprehensive clean-energy industrial chain, with green and low-carbon industries becoming an important driver of economic growth, Li said.
In the first half of 2026, China’s total installed renewable energy capacity reached 2.46 billion kilowatts, or 60.7 per cent of the country’s total power-generation capacity. At the end of July, installed solar power capacity exceeded coal-fired power capacity for the first time, making solar the country’s largest single source of electricity.
China’s total installed capacity of operational and approved nuclear power units now ranks first in the world. Production and sales of new energy vehicles have also ranked first globally for 11 consecutive years.
Li said China had established the world’s largest carbon emissions trading market, covering about 8.3 billion tonnes of carbon dioxide, or more than 65 per cent of the country’s total emissions. Cumulative trading of allowances has recently exceeded 1 billion metric tonnes.