Backgrounder: China’s Global South Climate Diplomacy

A group of foreign ambassadors being shown around a green energy facility in China's Qinghai Province. Image: CGTN

China passed a notable milestone recently: for the first time, more than half of its installed electricity capacity came from renewable sources. This puts China far ahead of other global powers, despite the fact that China remains one of the world’s largest markets for hydrocarbons. Beijing is increasingly using its green lead as a diplomatic talking point in the Global South.

This week’s announcement of possible green energy cooperation with South Africa is only one example of China’s growing climate diplomacy. Another was April’s China-Brazil Joint Statement on Combating Climate Change.

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by Cobus van Staden

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