China Steps Into Climate Leadership Void as U.S. Withdraws from COP30

With the United States absent from the U.N.’s annual climate summit for the first time in 30 years, China has stepped decisively into the spotlight as a leading force in global climate diplomacy.

At COP30 in Belém, Brazil, China’s presence is unmistakable: its expansive country pavilion dominates the entrance hall, executives from its major clean-energy firms are pitching their green visions in English to packed rooms, and its diplomats are working behind closed doors to keep negotiations on track. It is a role long associated with Washington—now largely assumed by Beijing.

“Water flows to where there is space, and diplomacy often does the same,” said International Renewable Energy Agency Director General Francesco La Camera, noting that China’s dominance in renewables and electric vehicles has strengthened its diplomatic weight.

Beijing’s expanded footprint at the climate talks comes as U.S. President Donald Trump—an outspoken climate skeptic—has again pulled the world’s largest historic emitter from the Paris Agreement. For the first time, Washington declined to send a high-level delegation to the summit.

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

Critics warn the U.S. retreat gives China greater influence in shaping global climate policy, even as the country remains the world’s top emitter. California Governor Gavin Newsom, visiting the summit, said China’s rapid expansion in clean-energy manufacturing should alarm U.S. policymakers.

“China gets it,” Newsom said. “America is toast competitively if we don’t wake up to what they’re doing—with supply chains, manufacturing, everything.”

A Larger-Than-Ever Presence

China’s pavilion—once modest and academic—now occupies prime real estate beside the host country’s pavilion. Visitors are greeted with sustainable Chinese coffee, panda-themed souvenirs, and presentations from some of the biggest names in global clean energy.

“Let’s advance climate cooperation and build a clean, beautiful world together,” said Meng Xiangfeng, vice president of CATL, the world’s largest battery maker, during the company’s first-ever public COP event.

CATL, which supplies roughly one-third of all EV batteries globally—including to Tesla, Ford, and Volkswagen—joined other Chinese giants like State Grid, solar leaders Trina and Longi, and EV maker BYD in showcasing technology they say supports global decarbonization. BYD also introduced a fleet of plug-in hybrid vehicles adapted to run on Brazilian biofuel.

COP30 leaders, including President André Corrêa do Lago and CEO Ana de Toni, praised China’s role as a clean-tech powerhouse. “With China’s scale and capacity, we can now buy low-carbon at competitive prices,” de Toni said. She credited Beijing for both domestic progress and support for other countries.

Filling the Diplomatic Void

Behind the scenes, diplomats say China is taking on responsibilities the U.S. once routinely held—brokering compromises and helping guide negotiations.

“Little by little, China is acting as a guarantor of the climate regime,” said a senior diplomat from an emerging economy. “They’ve invested heavily in the green economy. Any backtracking would hurt them.”

Brazilian officials said China played a pivotal role in securing agreement on the COP30 agenda before talks began—an area where it has rarely engaged in the past.

Sue Biniaz, former U.S. deputy climate envoy and an architect of the Paris Agreement, acknowledged China’s ability to bridge the interests of the BRICS bloc and vulnerable developing nations. “They take tough positions, like the U.S. did, but tend to be pragmatic toward the end,” she said. Still, she questioned whether China is ready to lead fully, pointing to its relatively modest pledge to cut emissions at least 7% from their peak by 2035.

Li Shuo, a longtime China climate analyst at the Asia Society Policy Institute, argued that China’s technological dominance itself represents leadership. “The most powerful country isn’t the one with the loudest microphone at COP,” he said, “but the one actually producing and investing in low-carbon technologies.”