For over a week at the United Nations, China actively projected an image of itself as a responsible global power, ready to take on international responsibilities. This strategic posturing came as the United States, under President Trump, appeared to be stepping back from its traditional leadership role.
Chinese leaders leveraged the U.N. General Assembly platform to announce commitments on trade and climate action. These pledges, while perhaps modest in scope, were primarily designed to present China as a beacon of stability and a champion of global cooperation.
Premier Li Qiang, China’s second-highest official, indirectly criticized the United States in his Friday speech to the assembly. He stated that “the rise in unilateral and protectionist measures like tariff hikes” was hindering global economic growth. In stark contrast, Li emphasized that China was consistently “opening its door wider to the world.”
Earlier in the week, Beijing declared it would stop claiming certain trade benefits reserved for developing nations at the World Trade Organization. Experts view this move as an effort by China to advocate for fairer trade practices, particularly as the Trump administration was actively using tariffs as a political tool.
On the climate front, Chinese President Xi Jinping announced a first-ever detailed target for reducing greenhouse gas emissions during a Wednesday U.N. summit via video link. Xi declared that a “green and low carbon” future represents the “trend of our time,” subtly criticizing nations that “act against” this transition—a clear jab at the United States. (Image: China’s top leader, Xi Jinping, remotely addressing a climate summit at U.N. headquarters on Wednesday.)
The juxtaposition was striking: Xi’s commitment came just a day after Trump dismissed climate change as the “greatest con job” perpetrated by “stupid people.” (Image: President Trump delivering remarks to the United Nations General Assembly at the United Nations, on Tuesday.)
These consecutive announcements clearly illustrate Beijing’s strategy: to present itself as a counterpoint to the “America First” ideology. China promotes its approach as “true multilateralism,” enthusiastically supporting international organizations and treaties that the Trump administration has distanced itself from, such as the United Nations, the World Health Organization, and the Paris climate accord.
According to Dylan Loh, a Chinese foreign policy expert at Nanyang Technological University in Singapore, China’s objective is to convince other nations of its “moral righteousness,” encouraging them to align more with Beijing’s directives rather than Washington’s.
“They are acting opportunistically,” Loh explained. “Wherever the United States leaves a leadership void, especially on critical issues like climate, China is ready to step in and increase its influence.”
However, it remains uncertain whether China’s efforts are genuinely impactful, or if they merely appear significant due to the low expectations set by the Trump administration’s disengagement from global climate science and international agreements.
Consider Xi’s climate pledges: experts argue that China, as the world’s leading polluter, needs to cut greenhouse gas emissions by 30% from peak levels over the next decade to realistically meet the Paris Agreement’s primary goal of limiting global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius (2.7 degrees Fahrenheit) above pre-industrial levels. Yet, China’s announced target was a more modest reduction of only 7 to 10 percent.
Li Shuo, director of the China Climate Hub at the Asia Society Policy Institute, expressed disappointment, stating that “The headline target announced by President Xi falls short of the climate leadership the world urgently needs.” Nevertheless, he remains hopeful that China’s burgeoning electric vehicle, wind, and solar energy sectors could help the nation surpass its stated goals.
Historically, China has been reluctant to make more ambitious climate commitments, citing concerns that such efforts would impede its economic growth.
A similar paradox exists in China’s self-identification as a developing country. This designation strengthens its relationships with less developed nations, despite its economy, nearing $19 trillion, being the second largest globally.
Premier Li’s recent trade announcement—that China would no longer claim specific World Trade Organization benefits—seemed designed to bridge this discrepancy. These benefits, for example, previously allowed China more time to implement trade agreements.
Despite this, Li Yihong, China’s chief trade envoy, asserted to reporters in Geneva that China would “always be a part of the developing world.”
The United States has consistently criticized China for not fulfilling its commitments since joining the WTO in 2001. The Trump administration specifically argued that China’s “developing nation” status enabled it to manipulate global trade regulations for its own advantage.
Stephen Olson, a former U.S. trade negotiator and a senior visiting fellow at Singapore’s ISEAS-Yusof Ishak Institute, remarked, “China is attempting to have it both ways. It doesn’t want to lose its ‘membership card’ in the Global South, which it aims to lead.”
Olson also cautioned that this policy change shouldn’t overshadow China’s questionable trade practices, such as subsidizing its exports, which disadvantages goods produced in other countries.