Editor's note: Wang Yiwei is the Jean Monnet Chair Professor and Vice President of the Academy of Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era, Renmin University of China.

The year 2035 is a pivotal node in China's journey from peaking carbon emissions to achieving carbon neutrality. The 2035 nationally determined contributions (NDCs) are closely linked with the grand blueprint of basically realizing socialist modernization and building a "Beautiful China." This comprehensive set of targets is formulated based on China's national conditions, development stage, and long-term strategy, and is benchmarked against the Paris Agreement and global stocktaking requirements. It takes into account a complex mix of international and domestic factors – including economic growth, energy security, and industrial and supply-chain safety – while balancing development with emission reductions and needs with capabilities and represents China's utmost effort in drafting its NDCs.

​​Amid current headwinds facing global climate governance, China's "dual-carbon" (carbon peaking and carbon neutrality) goals remain unwavering.​​

​​The global green transition must uphold fairness and justice, fully respecting the development rights of developing countries, and should narrow – not widen – the North-South gap through transformation.​​

​​China's 2035 NDCs contribute to shaping the global climate governance system, offering a Chinese perspective on addressing climate change.​​

President Xi Jinping, at the "Shanghai Cooperation Organization Plus" meeting, proposed the Global Governance Initiative and consistently emphasized that tackling climate change is a shared endeavor of all humanity.

How to understand the ecological civilization logic behind China's green transformation?

The Chinese civilization is the only continuously enduring civilization in the world. The Chinese understanding of civilization stems more from its continuity than merely its origins – this is what we call the Tao of being both expansive and enduring. Civilization can be understood in holistic or segmented terms: as material and spiritual civilization; or as 器物 (artifact), 制度 (institutional), and spiritual civilization. It can be both grand and minute – even the common restroom sign, "One small step forward, a giant leap for civilization," reflects this.

In the modern era, colonization turned the four great ancient civilizations into so-called "dead civilizations," while the civilization pioneered by modern Europe was deemed alive. Consequently, civilization shifted from being plural to singular, giving rise to the notion of a "universal civilization." This framework justified colonization as "spreading civilization," labeled European scholarship as "Classics" – always referencing ancient Greece – while the scholarship of ancient civilizations became "Oriental studies," and that of indigenous peoples became "anthropology." In reality, ancient civilizations were diverse, and they remain so today. Different countries possess their own civilizational foundations and have not only made immense contributions to human civilization in the past but continue to do so in diverse ways, challenging the Western logic of linear civilizational evolution. This is the essence of China's Global Civilization Initiative, which emphasizes that modernization does not equate to Westernization but is rooted in traditional culture, representing its creative transformation and innovative development.

Historically, while English uses the single word "history," Chinese uses two: 历 (calendar) + 史 (history). China emphasizes that calendrical systems (based on astronomy) preceded human history. Monotheism holds that God created the universe and humans, and humans created history; faith is an innate creed. Thus, when 16th-century missionaries came to China and translated "天" as "heaven," it became a root of misunderstanding. Chinese belief is centered on "revering heaven and emulating the ancestors" – first, there is the Tao of Heaven (under which exist various spirits), not a God who created heaven. There is the prescient "天道" (The Way of Heaven) and the learned "祖训" (tradition/belief).

Modern China, defeated by the West, lamented "a great upheaval unseen in three millennia" – industrial civilization defeating agricultural civilization. Consequently, modern China accelerated its learning from the West, becoming a master of industrialization. However, the Book of Changes teaches that the Tao of Heaven is ever-changing, and civilization must constantly adapt to the environment. Amid the global digital and green transitions, we imbue these shifts with civilizational significance, proposing ecological and digital civilizations.

Understanding the Green Belt and Road Initiative is based on China's ecological civilization construction, which can be analyzed through the unity of history and logic.

I. History

(1) Ancient History: The "I Ching" interprets the continual regeneration within Chinese civilization. Arnold J. Toynbee's "A Study of History" also suggests that civilizations either adapt to their environment or perish. The ancient myth of Yu the Great taming the floods illustrates China's view of ecological governance, contrasting with the escape and salvation narrative of Noah's Ark in the Bible.

(2) Modern History: Defeat in the Opium Wars was due to a civilizational gap – backwardness leads to vulnerability. Therefore, in this current transformation of human civilization – from industrial civilization to ecological-digital civilization – China is embracing it fervently, seeking to overtake on the curves or even change lanes.

(3) Contemporary History: The integration of Marxism with China's fine traditional culture has recreated Chinese civilization, rebuilt China, realizing the trinity of country [state, homeland] and nation-state, creating a new form of human civilization.

II. Logic

(1) First Logic: The Logic of Harmony between Humanity and Nature. The concept of a Community for Ocean Destiny also advocates harmony between humanity and the ocean. Harmony, coexistence, and mutual flourishing are tenets of Chinese culture. The great virtue of heaven and earth is giving and sustaining life, enabling continuous regeneration and civilizational perpetuity.

(2) Second Logic: The Logic of Unity of Knowledge and Action. The slogan "Lucid waters and lush mountains are invaluable assets" is deeply ingrained in people's hearts and has been codified in the Ecological Code, a significant contribution to humanity's civil code tradition.

(3) Third Logic: Holistic Coordination. This involves the coordinated management of mountains, waters, forests, farmlands, lakes, grasslands, and deserts. It entails coordinating the green ecological transformation across production, daily life, and mindset. This contrasts sharply with former U.S. President George W. Bush's statement that "the American way of life is not up for negotiation."

(4) Fourth Logic: The Logic of Parallel Development. This includes the digitalization of industry and the industrialization of digital technology; the greening of digitalization and the digitalization of greening. The foundation of AI is electricity; China's development of new energy addresses both the digital and green transitions.

(5) Fifth Logic: The People's Logic. The people's aspiration for a better life is the fundamental driving force behind China's ecological civilization thought! One could say the transformation is also necessitated. On April 15, 2010, then U.S. President Barack Obama told Australian television, "If over a billion Chinese citizens have the same living patterns as Australians and Americans do right now, then all of us are in for a very miserable time, the planet just can't sustain it." This also indicated that for the Chinese people to achieve a better life, they cannot pursue the "American Dream" but must take a path of sustainable development. Academician Ding Zhongli stated that the goal is not to save the planet, but to save humanity. This reflects a genuine people-oriented philosophy, distinct from certain anthropocentric views. Under the strong leadership of the Communist Party of China, "Fail to meet carbon targets, and your official position is at risk" has become a hard constraint for governments at all levels. Notably, the translation of "human community" in "a global community of shared future" avoids an overly anthropocentric term.

(6) Sixth Logic: The Logic of Establishing Before Dismantling. Look at tomorrow from the day after, not just at the day after from yesterday and the day before. There was a perception that climate change was a tool used by the West to suppress China's development; later, the focus shifted to future international competition and standards. It is essential to have ambitious goals paired with practical and feasible plans – aim high, achieve the medium.

(7) Seventh Logic: The Dialectical Logic. Protect while developing, develop while protecting. The core is the development of the environmental protection industry, making environmental protection not just a cost but a revenue generator, thereby fully leveraging market forces.

(8) Eighth Logic: The Logic of a Unified National Market. This includes transmitting electricity from west to east, supplying power from north to south, complementing hydropower and thermal power, integrating wind and solar power, and participating in cross-border interconnection for a global energy internet. It is driven by the dual wheels of a capable government and an effective market.

(9) Ninth Logic: The Logic of Adaptation to Local Conditions. The Chinese model blends secular ethics with the socialist spirit. The rapid development of digitalization and electric vehicles is partly due not to a Western monotheistic-like systematic focus, but to a balanced system approach, tested by practice rather than rigid adherence to concepts like absolute privacy protection or American exceptionalism. While there is a nationwide strategy, such as the dual carbon goals for 2030/2060, emission reduction is also adapted locally, based on practical realities, avoiding a one-size-fits-all approach.

(10) Tenth Logic: The Logic of Self-Development and Developing Others. From the Foolish Old Man removing the mountains to the determination to harness the Yellow River, from a green China to a green world, China actively contributes to the UN SDGs. This extends from the sustainable development of Chinese civilization to the sustainable development of human civilization. This is the source of success for the Green Belt and Road.