It's absolutely packed at the China Pavilion this afternoon at COP30 as China hosts an event on south-south climate cooperation

Speakers include Huang Runqiu, Liu Zhenmin and Ana Toni, with several Chinese environment officials (current and former) in the front row

I'm in Belém for week 1 of COP30, covering China's role at the negotiations. If you're around and have time for a coffee, let me know!

NEW - Is BRICS the next climate leader?

BRICS is in the news due to Trump and tariffs, but the group also has an interesting dynamic when it comes to climate

🇨🇳🇧🇷🇮🇳 have pushed fossil fuels to <50% of power + BRICS are shaping COP outcomes

Read more in my new @carbonbrief.org piece (link below)

China's energy transition has a formidable challenge: cement. @climateanalytics.org explains how to tackle cement's CO2 emissions in today's China Briefing
www.carbonbrief.org/china-briefi...

Plus:
📉 CO2 emissions fall 1% Jan-Jun
🚗 Cleantech exports rise
🏔️ Officials hail Xi's 'two mountains' speech

Looks like there's some misinformation going around - some media are reporting solar cells are included in US tariff exemptions on some Chinese goods

The US announcement lists codes of exempt goods. Solar cells (8541.42) and solar panels (8541.43) aren't on the list

China's response to the US trade tariffs included export controls on more rare earth elements

Previous export controls on germanium, gallium and graphite only paused exports, it didn't stop them completely

We'll need to wait and see if the same is true for this latest round of minerals

As Trump raises tariffs, China's solar exports to global south double

Read more in today's @carbonbrief.org China Briefing
www.carbonbrief.org/china-briefi...

Plus
💰 China's carbon market expansion greenlit
🏔️ Xi wants China to hold cleantech 'commanding heights'
🤝EU and China to hold new EV talks

Went on a @carbonbrief.org field trip to see the Kyoto play last night, it was genius!

The two sessions itself contained no major surprises for climate and energy policy, affirming its new role as "a platform to confirm pre-existing decisions rather than introduce new ones”, according to Li Shuo at @asiapolicy.asiasociety.org

Coal continues to be seen as key to 🇨🇳 energy strategy

NEW - With China's "two sessions" mega policy event over, I dug into the signals 🇨🇳 leaders sent around energy and climate policy

A weak energy target and continued focused on coal power show that climate is on the backburner in favour of the economy

www.carbonbrief.org/explainer-wh...

More in 🧵

NEW - China started work on 94.5GW of new coal power capacity in 2024, a report released today led by Qi Qin at @creacleanair.bsky.social and @cshearer19.bsky.social found

These new additions put China's energy transition at risk, they said

Read more ⬇️
www.carbonbrief.org/chinas-const...

Minerals are key to making low-carbon tech, and many countries are nervous about access to them

Gallium and germanium are used for solar panels, while antimony and graphite are needed for EV batteries

NEW - 🇨🇳 banned exports to 🇺🇸 of 3 key minerals for cleantech, and tightened controls on graphite exports to 🇺🇸. But 🇨🇳 first export controls didn't choke supply chains. Experts disagree if this will hold true now

➡️ www.carbonbrief.org/qa-what-could-a-us-china-trade-war-mean-for-the-energy-transition

Fun #COP29 NDC talks readout
🇨🇳 opposed an in-session workshop and, supported by 🇮🇳, a reference to NDC synthesis report
🇵🇦 said “we can't have a Picasso of [incomparable] NDCs”
🇮🇳 replied “we get what we painted” reiterating the “voluntary” nationally-determined nature of NDCs

Source @enb.iisd.org

Climate envoy Xie Zhenhua, IEA head Fatih Birol and reps from the oil and gas industry at China's event on methane at the China pavilion COP28
🧵

Exec. Vice Premier Ding Xuexiang at COP28 says countries should "promote clean, low carbon and efficient use of traditional energy"

Scoffs of disbelief as COP28 president Al Jaber talks about the contributions of oil and gas companies to the COP process

I'll be at COP28 covering China's position on climate finance, the global stocktake and more. Come find me if you're around and want to chat all things China