Two of the world’s biggest climate polluters, China and the European Union, have made a joint declaration reaffirming their commitment to addressing climate change. This declaration was made at the 25^th EU-China summit in Beijing on 24 July 2025, ahead of the U.N. COP30 climate summit scheduled for November in Brazil.

As quoted by ESG News, the statement read:

“Green is the defining color of China-EU cooperation… [and] both sides have a solid foundation and broad space for cooperation in the field of green transition.”

Both global powers also emphasized the significance of the Paris Agreement, a global pact to address global warming, now running in its 10^th year, as “the cornerstone of international climate cooperation.”

In contrast, the United States, the third major global climate polluter, has announced plans to withdraw from the Paris Agreement. Since his return to office in 2025, US President Trump has drastically scaled back policies and programs designed to accelerate renewable energy development.

Clean Tech, Dirty Footprint

This declaration comes despite China and the EU’s trade disputes and disagreement over Russia's war with Ukraine. In fact, both parties also have major disagreements in their approach towards tackling rising emissions.

While China has been working towards positioning itself as the global front-runner of clean energy technology exports such as wind turbines, solar panels, and electric vehicles, the manufacture of these products has been contributing to increasing global emissions due to China’s reliance on coal-powered factories, sparking criticism from the EU.

In 2024, researchers estimated that coal-powered factories producing clean energy technologies for export generated 110 million tons of carbon dioxide emissions. China, however, is showing no signs of slowing down the development of additional coal plants.

Key Declaration Highlights

EU and China have pledged to:

1. Submit new 2035 climate targets, aligning with the Paris Agreement’s long-term temperature goals before COP30.
2. Accelerate global renewable energy deployment and access to green technologies, especially in developing nations.
3. Back Brazil’s COP30 presidency and advocate for ambitious, fair, balanced, and inclusive results.
4. Strengthen climate adaptation initiatives across all levels.
5. Work together on energy transition, methane reduction, carbon markets, and the advancement of low-carbon technologies.

Strategic Takeaways

• Opportunity: EU-China pledges on new climate targets, renewables, and low-carbon tech may unlock green investment growth, particularly in emerging markets.
• Risk: China’s coal-powered clean tech supply chains raise credibility concerns, making emissions tracking and supply chain due diligence essential.
• Context: With the U.S. stepping back from the Paris Agreement, EU-China alignment is set to shape global climate policy, carbon markets, and finance.

As COP30 approaches, the EU-China cooperation’s strength and their ability to reconcile clean tech growth with credible emissions reductions will be a defining test for global climate leadership.