China Week Opening Panel Session: China's 2060 Carbon Pledge - How Do We Get There?

In his address to the 75th United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) in September 2020, Chinese President Xi Jinping announced to the world that China pledges to have its CO2 emissions peak before 2030 and become carbon neutral by 2060. This is an ambitious target given that China is the largest green house gas emitter in the world and its ongoing rapid economic development is heavily reliant on the fossil fuels industry.

What caused this shift, from China being seen as a climate change laggard to pursuing its place as a climate change champion? What changes will be required in China's economy to undertake decarbonization across all industries? What implications will this pose for global supply chains fuelled by Chinese production? What does it mean for China's role in the world in driving multilateral cooperation on climate action and how can it cooperate with countries such as the UK, US and Europe to propel change?

To answer these questions, we hosted a panel of experts on Monday 25th October 2021 at the opening panel session of the Lau China Institute's inaugural China Week Forum.

Panellists included:
- Isabel Hilton OBE, Founder, China Dialogue
-Dr. Chen Ji, Principal, Rocky Mountain Institute
- James Pennington, Manager, China Partnerships and the Circular Economy, World Economic Forum
- Dr. Chunping Xie, Policy Fellow, Grantham Research Institute on Climate Change, London School of Economics
- Chair: Cindy Yu, Broadcast Editor, The Spectator