The 2020 plan said: “pure battery EVs to become the mainstream of new car sales by 2035.” In 2024, it was watered down to “new energy vehicles” in another State Council document

www.gov.cn/zhengce/2024...

The ‘new’ goal: new energy vehicle to become the mainstream of new car sales by 2035

It first appeared 5 years ago in the New Energy Vehicle Industry Plan (2021–2035) - a State Council document from November 2020.

www.gov.cn/zhengce/cont...

A symbolic first? EVs are now in China’s new official climate target to the UN. But the target is recycled, watered down and depending on how it’s defined, China will to reach it by end of the year.

Generated a quick chart to illustrate your point:
- Following the 2020-2024 trend = 7x of 2020 capacity by 2035
- Following the 2023-2024 trend = 10x of 2020 capacity by 2035

China leads the world in high-quality patent filings for batteries and solar, while Europe retains the lead in wind and smart grids. China applied for more than 2x as many high-quality clean energy patents as the US. @nytimes analysis of @EPOorg data
www.nytimes.com/interactive/...

Chinese wind tech breakthrough: Envision says its 2-blade turbine now matches 3-blade output - cheaper, faster to install, easier to transport, lighter towers/cranes, quicker assembly, better in storms, simpler maintenance.
www.energylivenews.com/2025/08/11/c...

As China tightens its export control regime on permanent magnets, Germany sets out a roadmap to cut reliance on Chinese magnets for the wind industry: 15% ‘resilient’ magnets by 2029, 30% by 2030, 50% by 2035.

Quick take on EU-China (or China-EU) climate joint statement:
We'll do more of the same and we'll commit to make some commitments later.

vs. last joint statement back in 2021 - in which China stated that it was going to 'strictly control coal consumption (it didn't)

So is China gonna pay? Short answer is - yes & no.

Yes - it’s already paying (comparable to the level of financing by UK & Italy, not in terms of quality).

And no - because it did not pledge new money, and it rejects to be a donor as part of the UN official target.

6/ But here’s the catch: China's announcement isn’t new funding—it’s retrospective. Studies show China’s climate finance peaked during the BRI boom (2015–2017) and has since declined odi.org/en/events/ch...

2/ President Xi sent Ding Xuexiang (#6 in the leadership hierarchy) to unveil a new figure at COP29: China has contributed ¥177bn ($24.5bn) in climate finance to developing countries since 2016—about $3bn/year. www.mfa.gov.cn/web/ziliao_6...

1/ As COP29 coming to a close, let's take stock of where China stands on climate finance.

EU climate chief Hoekstra once said: "If you are able to embark on a mission to the moon and are responsible for 1/4 of global emissions... you simply need to do more."

So, will China pay? 🧵