China’s Evolving Climate Leadership Within the UNFCCC in the Post-Paris Era

As the world’s largest emitter of greenhouse gases (GHGs), the People’s Republic of China faces mounting pressure to enhance its climate change mitigation efforts. This study introduces an integrated framework that synthesizes multiple leadership theories—instrumental, structural, exemplary, ideational, and cognitive—to systematically identify and evaluate a country’s climate leadership. Applying this framework to China in the post-Paris Agreement and post-COVID-19 period provides a structured method for examining how, where, and through which channels China exerts leadership within the UNFCCC process. Central to this research is the question: How can climate leadership be identified and assessed in the context of China? By analyzing China’s climate policies, official statements, UNFCCC submissions, and direct observations from recent climate negotiations, this research operationalizes each leadership type using clear, replicable indicators. Focusing on the “how” of climate leadership—its definition, implementation, and expression across multiple dimensions—offers new insights into China’s evolving engagement and strategic positioning in a rapidly changing global governance landscape. Ultimately, this approach not only sheds light on China’s current role but also furnishes a practical tool for evaluating climate leadership in other contexts.