China's Ambitious Yet Ambiguous Climate Goals

China has unveiled its latest climate goals, underscoring a continued push towards renewable energy expansion. However, the commitments stop short of reducing the nation's reliance on coal. President Xi Jinping announced plans to multiply wind and solar power capacities by six times from 2020 levels, reaching 3,600 gigawatts by 2035.

Despite last year's early achievement of their wind and solar target, critics argue that the new goals remain modest given China's status as the leading carbon emitter. Analysts suggest that the country's primary issue isn't generating capacity, but rather the increasing curtailment rates, wherein power isn't fully utilized due to grid imbalances.

In his announcement, Xi proposed cutting greenhouse gas emissions by 7%-10% from the peak levels, though concrete definitions remain absent. The absence of specific coal reduction targets contrasts with earlier statements to phase down coal use, sparking concerns about China's trajectory towards carbon neutrality by 2060.