On January 3, 2025, the Ministry of Ecology and Environment of the People’s Republic of China, in collaboration with other relevant departments, released The People’s Republic of China First Biennial Transparency Report on Climate Change. This report comprehensively presents the latest progress in key areas such as greenhouse gas (GHG)
In January 2025, China’s State Council approved the Implementation Opinions on Building Pioneer Demonstrations for a Beautiful China, setting the stage for integrating high-quality development with ecological protection. Focusing on green and low-carbon growth, biodiversity conservation, and ecological governance, the plan targets key regions like the Yangtze River Delta, Greater Bay Area, and Yellow River Basin. By 2027, these pilot projects will serve as national benchmarks under the Beautiful China Initiative. Closely aligned with the Urban-Act Project, this initiative accelerates climate-resilient urban planning and sustainable development.
By March 2025, the State Council of the People’s Republic of China had approved 40 territorial spatial master plans for provinces, provincial capitals, and municipalities for the period 2021–2035. Among these are the recently endorsed plans for Xi’an and Xiamen, which were selected as low-carbon and climate-resilient pilot cities under the IKI Urban-Act project. These plans lay out a spatial governance framework that integrates ecological, agricultural, and urban spaces, aiming to safeguard national food security and ecological integrity while supporting sustainable urban and regional development over the medium and long term.
On 27 January 2025, China’s National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC) and the National Energy Administration (NEA) jointly issued a policy titled “Notice on Deepening the Marketisation Reform of Feed-in Tariffs for New Energy to Promote High-Quality Development of New Energy”. This policy marks a shift in China’s approach to pricing wind and solar power, transitioning from fixed tariffs to a market-based system.
The iron and steel industry faces low-carbon transformation challenges due to its resource- and energy-intensive production processes. Accelerating the integration of the iron and steel industry into the Chinese national emissions trading (China ETS) system is crucial to its green and low-carbon development.
On April 2, China’s Ministry of Finance (MoF) issued its inaugural RMB-denominated sovereign green bond in London with an issue size of 6 billion yuan (approximately US$833 million)[1], a landmark move that underscores the Chinese central government’s leadership in strengthening the role of the overseas green bond market for achieving
International Climate Initiative (IKI) supports an effective model in climate change education in Guangdong Province, China, through IKI Small Grants to foster public participation. Zhongshan Xiaolan Low Carbon Development & Promotion Center, a local NGO from Southern China, successfully implemented a climate change education project from May 2023 to December 2024. The IKI financed the project “Climate Change Education and Mitigation in Primary Schools in Guangdong Province, China”, which benefits students and teachers
At the beginning of November, following the requirement for certain listed companies to publish their sustainability reports announced earlier, the Shanghai Stock Exchange, the Shenzhen Stock Exchange and the Beijing Stock Exchange in China opened public consultation on a handbook for practitioners from listed companies. In December, China’s Ministry of Finance announced the publication of the “Corporate Sustainability Disclosure Standards (CSDS) – Basic Standards (Trial)”, which represents a significant step in establishing a nationwide ESG disclosure regime aligned with the International Sustainability Standards Board (ISSB) framework.
China’s National People’s Congress, the country’s top legislature, approved the country’s first-ever Energy Law on 8 November 2024 at the 12th session of the Standing Committee Meeting. The Energy Law has taken effect on 1 January 2025. The release of this law, 18 years after the legislative process began, strengthens the legal framework governing China’s energy sector, supports energy security, and facilitates the country’s energy transition. As the foundation for the regulation of the energy sector, the Energy Law will also provide guidance and coordination for other sectoral legislation and policies.
