COP29: What is China’s negotiating position?

Given that the next US president is a climate change denier who plans to again pull the country out of the Paris Agreement, those watching COP29 are expecting other governments to fill the void left by the “lame duck” US negotiating team. China as the world’s biggest greenhouse gas emitter is thus under ever more scrutiny: what cards is this powerful international player bringing to the negotiating table? We analyse statements released by the Chinese government ahead of and on the first days of COP29 in Azerbaijan, showing its continued characterisation of itself as a developing country.