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Two announcements at Cop29, the recent UN climate conference in Baku, Azerbaijan, show China’s consistent leadership in climate change diplomacy and cooperation, especially from the vantage point of the Global South.
The first was Beijing’s commitment to working with all countries to advance the UN’s Early Warnings for All initiative, announced by Chinese President Xi Jinping’s special representative, Vice-Premier Ding Xuexiang. Ding proposed three vital tasks: improving global risk assessments, building a global early warning network, and fostering a climate adaptation partnership.
Notably, China touted a South-South cooperation project to equip nations with meteorological observation tools and early warning systems.
The second announcement was the publication of China’s Action Plan on Early Warning for Climate Change Adaptation (2025-2027). It aims to establish a joint platform for monitoring, forecasting and early warning of extreme weather and climate events to support disaster-risk management and climate-resilient community building. Beijing said it would use geostationary satellites to provide high-frequency disaster monitoring across Africa, Asia and the Pacific.
These developments reinforce China’s commitment to domestic policies that support the world’s most climate-vulnerable nations.
With the US expected to retreat from international climate leadership under a second Donald Trump presidency, China’s role in shaping global climate diplomacy may become even more crucial.