Key points: China’s COP30 delegation leader told AFP in Belém that Beijing expects the United States will return to UN climate talks "some day" and urged political solidarity to ensure the green transition cannot be reversed. He warned against geopolitical unilateralism and protectionism undermining cooperation. Financing remains central: developed nations pledged $300 billion annually by 2035 to poorer countries and a broader goal to mobilize $1.3 trillion a year from public and private sources.
China Expects U.S. to Rejoin Climate Talks 'Someday,' Urges Global Solidarity at COP30
Key points: China’s COP30 delegation leader told AFP in Belém that Beijing expects the United States will return to UN climate talks "some day" and urged political solidarity to ensure the green transition cannot be reversed. He warned against geopolitical unilateralism and protectionism undermining cooperation. Financing remains central: developed nations pledged $300 billion annually by 2035 to poorer countries and a broader goal to mobilize $1.3 trillion a year from public and private sources.
11:01 AM, 11/13/2025Environment
China says U.S. will return to UN climate talks and calls for unity at COP30
Belem, Brazil — China’s delegation leader at COP30 told AFP on Wednesday that Beijing expects the United States will "some day" return to UN climate negotiations and urged nations to demonstrate that the global green transition "cannot be reversed." Li Gao, who also serves as a deputy environment minister, emphasized the importance of international cooperation in addressing climate change.
"Addressing climate change needs every country. We hope that some day, and we also believe that some day in the future, the US will come back," Li said.
Cooperation between China and the United States — the world’s largest economies and top emitters — has historically helped break negotiation impasses at UN climate talks. This year, however, the U.S. delegation is absent after President Donald Trump withdrew the country from the Paris Agreement and has signalled support for fossil fuels while rolling back many green-technology policies introduced by his predecessor, Joe Biden.
Li highlighted China’s domestic progress — expanding renewable energy capacity and deploying more electric vehicles than any other country — and said Beijing’s priority at COP30 is to back Brazil’s presidency and other parties in sending a "very strong political signal that the green low-carbon transition cannot be reversed" and that "international cooperation cannot be reduced."
He urged delegates to "avoid the negative impact of, for example, geopolitical unilateralism or protectionism," warning that such trends could undermine collective climate action.
Financing developing-country transitions
One of the central topics at COP30 is climate finance: how to help developing nations shift to clean energy and adapt to growing climate impacts. At COP29 in Baku, developed countries agreed to provide $300 billion a year in climate finance to poorer nations by 2035 — a pledge critics say falls short of needs — and set a broader target to mobilize $1.3 trillion annually from public and private sources.
A report issued by COP29 leaders and Brazil’s COP30 presidency argued the world has the tools to reach the $1.3 trillion goal. Li welcomed that report but reiterated that developed countries must deliver on the $300 billion commitment, calling it "their responsibility."
What’s next: Negotiations at COP30 will focus on turning political commitments into concrete implementation plans and securing finance mechanisms to support vulnerable countries’ transitions and resilience efforts.