Reference News Network, September 9 report. The UK's Guardian website published an article titled "There is Only One Player: Why China is Becoming the Leader in Global Green Energy" by Hua Zhong on September 7. The following is a translated version of the article:

Nations that dominate in the energy sector usually also dominate in the economic and political fields. Next week, the Brazilian CEO of the 30th Conference of the Parties (COP30) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change will visit China, because she knows that the success or failure of this annual climate summit depends on China, not any other country.

The expectations for China's leadership in the climate field are increasing, while disappointment in the United States is deepening. The United States will attend COP30 as an observer and a disruptor - under Trump's leadership, the US seems to be trying to retreat back into the comfort zone of oil, natural gas, and coal from the 20th century.

Last year, China's greenhouse gas emissions slightly decreased. Many analysts believe that this means China's carbon emissions will peak this year or soon.

When China announces its updated Nationally Determined Contributions (NDC) under the Paris Agreement, this time point will become clearer. It is expected that China will announce the updated targets before the next UN General Assembly, which will be closely watched, as no country has the ability to achieve or break the goals of the Paris Agreement - keeping the global average temperature rise within 2 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels, and striving to limit it to 1.5 degrees Celsius.

Last year, the installed capacity of wind and solar power being built in China was twice the total of the rest of the world, helping China achieve its target of reaching 120 gigawatts of installed capacity six years ahead of schedule.

China has also rapidly risen in supplying renewable energy technologies to overseas markets. Last year, the top four wind turbine manufacturers in the world were all from China for the first time. The production and export of photovoltaic cells and electric vehicles also occupied a large share of the global market.

Li Shuo, director of the China Climate Center at the Asia Society, said that in the field of clean energy, the discussion about competition is meaningless. "There is only one player. The US is not even in the race. This momentum will continue."

As the COP30 meeting in Belém, Brazil approaches, this contrast between China and the US is becoming more pronounced, and may affect the geopolitical landscape for decades to come. Chinese officials have clearly stated on the international stage that China will defend multilateral decision-making.

In previous climate conferences, senior negotiators from the US and China often held bilateral meetings to ensure that the world's two largest emitters reached a consensus. This year, China held separate climate talks with the EU and confirmed that they will work together to ensure the success of COP30, achieving "ambitious and fair" results.

The development of renewable energy is faster. The share of fossil fuels in China's power generation capacity has dropped from two-thirds ten years ago to below half now. Belinda Scheppe, a policy analyst at the Finnish Research Center for Energy and Clean Air, said that current trends indicate that China still has the potential to reduce emissions by 30% in the next decade, which would bring significant economic benefits, especially in the context of the ongoing global energy transition. (Translated by Zheng Guoyi)

A photo taken on July 30 of the photovoltaic base in Dalat Banner, Ordos City, Inner Mongolia (drone photo). (Xinhua)

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