Pressure remains on Xi Jinping to kick China’s coal habit

Pressure remains on Xi Jinping to kick China’s coal habit

Since Sunday, world leaders and their hordes of advisers have been gathering in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt, for the 27th meeting of the UN’s main climate change conference.

But, ahead of the summit, organisers confirmed that Xi Jinping, the powerful leader of the world’s most populous country, would not attend. It is an absence that undermines the climate negotiations, given that the global battle against climate change hinges heavily on the biggest emitter kicking its fossil fuel addiction.

Xi’s no-show also highlights the dire state of China’s relations with the US and its allies in the west. Climate talks were, until recently, a rare bright spot — even between Washington and Beijing.

However, geopolitical tension has increased dramatically in the past year, fuelled by China’s aggressive stance on Taiwan and refusal to condemn the Russian invasion of Ukraine, as well as US president Joe Biden’s rallying of allies against China’s rise and denial of access to critical technologies.

Despite that backdrop, however — and perhaps because of it — there are signs that China will meet Xi’s key climate change promises.

His targets include hitting peak coal consumption around 2025, followed, five years later, by reaching peak carbon emissions. Also, by 2030, China has promised to