The commitment comes at a politically charged moment, with the United States rolling back climate measures. Earlier this week, US president Donald Trump dismissed climate change as a "con job", underscoring the contrast between Washington's retreat and Beijing's latest pledge.
Xi's announcement is critical given China's role as the world's largest emitter, responsible for over a quarter of global climate pollution in 2023. A 10% cut would amount to 1.4bn tonnes of emissions a year—nearly four times the UK's annual output. Yet campaigners warned the plan falls short of what is required to keep the Paris Agreement goal of limiting global heating to 1.5C within reach.
"Even for those with tempered expectations, what's presented today still falls short," said Yao Zhe, global policy adviser at Greenpeace East Asia.
UN calls for stronger commitments
This week's UN climate gathering in New York has taken on particular importance as countries race to submit updated national climate plans, originally due in February. These commitments, submitted every five years, underpin the 2015 Paris accord, where nearly 200 nations agreed to curb global warming.
UN secretary-general António Guterres urged governments to present comprehensive plans covering all greenhouse gases. "It is essential that we have a drastic reduction of emissions in the next few years if we want to keep the 1.5 degrees Celsius limit alive," he warned.
Xi confirmed China's longer-term goal of reaching net zero by 2060, first announced in 2021, but offered no timeline for when the country's emissions would peak. The new target applies across all greenhouse gases, not just carbon dioxide. He also pledged to expand wind and solar power capacity more than sixfold from 2020 levels, increase forest stock to over 24bn cubic metres, and make electric vehicles the dominant share of new car sales.
Falling short of Paris goals
Analysts cautioned that the cuts were not sufficient. Lauri Myllyvirta, lead analyst at the Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air, said: "Anything less than 30% is definitely not aligned with 1.5C." Most Paris-consistent scenarios would require China to reduce emissions by at least half by 2035, he added.
A recent report by the Stockholm Environment Institute highlighted the broader challenge, warning that governments worldwide are planning to produce more than twice the amount of fossil fuels in 2030 than would be compatible with 1.5C.
Renewables surge offers hope
Despite criticism, some experts say China's rapid clean energy expansion suggests it could outperform its new targets. Beijing had originally pledged to install 1,200 gigawatts of wind and solar capacity by 2030 but achieved that figure in 2024—six years ahead of schedule.
"The targets should be seen as a floor rather than a ceiling," said Li Shuo, director of the China Climate Hub at the Asia Society Policy Institute. "China's 2035 goal doesn't reflect the full speed of its energy transition. Emissions are already showing signs of plateauing, and this year's levels could be lower than in 2024."
Bernice Lee, a senior adviser at Chatham House, said China had "missed a trick" by not setting a more ambitious goal that would have won international recognition. "Such a move would have stood in stark contrast to the US retreat," she added.
Yet Beijing's reliance on coal remains a sticking point. Last year, coal-fired electricity generation hit a record high, though early data suggests output has dropped in the first half of 2025 as solar power surged.
Still, Li Shuo described the new pledge as "the beginning of decarbonisation after decades of rapid emissions growth," marking a potential turning point for the world's largest emitter.