China and EU Unite for Green Future at Beijing Summit
Leaders from China and the European Union (EU) gathered in Beijing on July 24, 2025, for a landmark summit focused on combating climate change and fostering environmental protection. The summit concluded with both sides committing to deepen cooperation in carbon-market linkage, accelerate renewable energy deployment, and expand green technology collaboration.
In a joint statement, China and the EU reaffirmed their full support for the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and the Paris Agreement. They pledged to submit comprehensive 2035 Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) covering all sectors and greenhouse gases ahead of the 2025 UN Climate Change Conference (COP30), scheduled for November in Brazil.
Pushing for Biodiversity Conservation
Biodiversity and low-carbon ecosystem protection were key themes at the summit. Earlier, from July 8 to 9, 2024, Beijing hosted a workshop on mainstreaming biodiversity, co-chaired by Anne-Theo Seinen of the EU’s Directorate-General for Environment and Liu Ning, China’s lead negotiator for the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD).
Participants explored planning, monitoring, and reporting under the Global Biodiversity Framework (GBF), addressing scientific gaps. For the first time, financial-sector stakeholders joined the discussions to integrate biodiversity into public finance and Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) frameworks, aiming to set resource-mobilization targets and foster a bio-credit market.
Strengthening Green Research and Industry
On the research front, China and the EU signed a new intergovernmental joint research funding agreement focused on climate change and biodiversity in April 2022. Since its launch in 2015, this mechanism has supported collaborative research and development among universities, institutes, and enterprises, providing technological support for carbon neutrality.
In the green industry sector, significant strides have been made. In 2025, Chinese battery maker CALB invested 2 billion euros in a lithium-battery plant in Portugal. Meanwhile, CATL has built gigafactories in Germany, Hungary, and Spain. A Chinese consortium is constructing Croatia’s Korlat solar plant, expected to cut 150,000 tonnes of CO2 annually.
European companies are also expanding in China. Siemens opened its first industrial ecosystem hub in Chengdu, southwest China’s Sichuan Province, while Danish energy firm Danfoss launched its first carbon-neutral factory in Nanjing, capital of east China’s Jiangsu Province, with strong performance in data centers and energy storage.
Global Impact and Future Collaboration
United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres welcomed the cooperation, stating that a partnership between the world’s two largest economies is critical to making COP30 a turning point in addressing the climate emergency. He reiterated his call for all G20 countries to submit ambitious NDCs aligned with the 1.5-degree Celsius goal by 2035.
From biodiversity policy training to joint research funding and industrial collaboration, China and the EU are forging a comprehensive, multi-layered green partnership. Looking ahead, they plan to deepen synergy in green finance, carbon-market linkage, and technological innovation—together powering global ecological and climate governance.
