摘要：Xi's new pledges, including a 7-10 percent cut in net greenhouse gas emissions from their peak by 2035 and a massive expansion of

Chinese President Xi Jinping addresses the United Nations Climate Summit 2025 in New York by video on September 24, 2025. [Photo/Xinhua]

By Pan Deng

In a world grappling with a crisis of confidence in its governing institutions, Chinese President Xi Jinping's recent video address to the United Nations Climate Summit was more than a climate speech; it was a clear articulation of a promising path forward.

Delivered on September 24 against the backdrop of the 80th UN General Assembly, he offered not only ambitious new climate targets but a practical blueprint for tackling what China's recently proposed Global Governance Initiative (GGI) identifies as a critical "governance deficit" plaguing the international system.

Xi's new pledges, including a 7-10 percent cut in net greenhouse gas emissions from their peak by 2035 and a massive expansion of renewable capacity to 3,600 gigawatts, are a direct response to one of the GGI's core critiques: the urgent need for greater effectiveness in global affairs.

At a time when multilateralism is challenged and the implementation of global goals is lagging, China is framing its climate policy as a case study in how to translate vision into action, providing a much-needed anchor of stability and purpose for a system adrift.

Antidote to ineffectiveness

The GGI concept paper pointedly notes that the implementation of the UN's 2030 Agenda is "seriously lagging behind," creating an urgent need for greater effectiveness. China's climate strategy appears designed as a direct answer to this challenge.

The new 2035 targets are the next phase of a meticulously executed national plan, building on the "dual carbon" goal China first announced in 2020. In the five years since, China has demonstrated what effective governance looks like.

By meeting its 2030 wind and solar installation targets six years ahead of schedule and systematically reducing its reliance on coal, Beijing has made tangible progress while much of the world has struggled to move past rhetoric.

Upholding authority during unilateralism

A second deficiency identified by the GGI is the "erosion of authoritativeness" in global institutions, where the principles of the UN Charter are challenged and unilateral actions disrupt the international order.

The recent history of climate diplomacy provides a stark illustration of this trend. The Paris Agreement, a landmark achievement of multilateralism, has been weakened by the wavering political will of some of its key architects.

The U.S. administration's unilateral withdrawal from the accord and the backsliding on climate pledges by some major nations are prime examples of the erosion the GGI warns against. These actions undermine the very foundation of international law and collective responsibility.

Furthermore, the failure of industrialized countries to deliver on their decade-old promise of providing $100 billion a year in climate finance is more than a broken pledge; it is an act that corrodes the authority and fairness of the entire climate framework.

Building equity to redress imbalance

Perhaps the most fundamental challenge outlined in the GGI is the "serious underrepresentation of the Global South" in global governance and the need to "redress historical injustice." China's climate diplomacy is deeply embedded in this principle, positioning Beijing not as a unilateral leader but as an equal partner of the developing world. By rejecting the notion that the Global South must choose between development and climate action, China champions the principle of common but differentiated responsibilities.

This philosophy is put into practice through initiatives like the greening of the Belt and Road Initiative, which focuses on sustainable infrastructure and renewable energy projects in partner countries.

It is also reflected in the unified stance of Global South groupings. Joint declarations from BRICS, the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, and ASEAN all echo the GGI's core tenet: that developed nations should honor their financial and technology-transfer obligations while opposing green trade barriers that would unfairly penalize developing economies.

Through this collaborative approach, China is working to build a more just and inclusive climate governance architecture that empowers the Global South and ensures its voice is central to shaping our collective future.

Xi's address and China's broader climate strategy represent the GGI in action. This approach tackles the effectiveness deficit with concrete results, counters the authority deficit by championing multilateralism, and addresses the representation deficit by elevating the Global South.

In doing so, China is offering more than a plan to fight climate change; it is proposing a credible vision for revitalizing global governance itself.

Pan Deng is a current affairs commentator.

来源：中国网一点号