EU Climate Commissioner Wopke Hoekstra has called on China to step up its climate leadership by cutting greenhouse gas emissions and reducing its dependence on coal. Speaking in Beijing during high-level environmental talks, Hoekstra emphasised the urgency of halting the construction of new coal-fired power plants and accelerating the phase-out of coal.
“We do encourage China to take more of a leadership role going forward and really hit the road with meaningful emission reductions in the next couple of years,” Hoekstra told Reuters, stressing the need to move away from coal.
China, the world’s largest emitter of greenhouse gases, has continued to approve new coal projects. In the first quarter of 2025 alone, the country approved 11.29 gigawatts (GW) of new coal power — surpassing the rate of approvals seen in the first half of 2024, according to a June report by Greenpeace.
Hoekstra also indicated that the EU is withholding support for a joint climate declaration with China unless Beijing offers stronger commitments to emissions reductions. “We are open to looking into a potential declaration, but … the thing that is most important about these types of statements is the content,” he said.
