China has announced its first economy-wide commitment to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, pledging a cut of between 7 and 10% by as soon as 2035 the BBC reports. It is a move that signals a new phase in its climate policy but leaves global climate ambitions hanging in the balance.

President Xi Jinping delivered the announcement via a video address to the United Nations in New York, framing the plan as a key factor in Beijing’s climate strategy and part of its long-term pledge to reach carbon neutrality by 2060. The commitment covers all greenhouse gases rather than carbon dioxide alone, though Beijing has not specified the precise level at which emissions are deemed to have peaked.

As ever when dealing with China, the timing is significant. With Washington retreating from international commitments and President Donald Trump this week dismissing climate change, attention has again shifted towards Beijing’s role in keeping the Paris agreement alive.

Although the target marks the first time China has promised an absolute reduction, climate analysts voiced concern that the ambition does not match what is required to limit global warming to 1.5C above pre-industrial levels.

Lauri Myllyvirta of the Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air was reported as saying that cuts closer to 30% would be necessary for China to align with the 1.5C pathway according to the BBC report.

China’s position is pivotal, however. The country accounted for almost 14bn tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent emissions just two years ago which made up more than a quarter of the global total. As such, a 10% fall would amount to roughly 1.4bn tonnes, nearly four times the UK’s entire annual emissions. The number is still insufficient in the eyes of campaigners and climate scientists, however.

For now though, the pledge forms part of the latest round of climate plans required under the Paris accord, with countries expected to submit updated commitments by the end of September.

Despite concerns about the scale of the new target, though, it should be remembered that China has a track record of surpassing international goals. It pledged to reach 1,200 gigawatts of solar and wind power capacity by 2030 but passed that threshold in 2024, six years early. Beijing has also committed to increasing forest stocks to 24bn cubic metres and ensuring that so-called “new energy vehicles” dominate car sales the BBC report continues. It is understood to already be well on the way to both targets.

For many observers, the real story lies in China’s renewable energy build-out, which continues at extraordinary speed, but for Beijing, coal remains a stubborn obstacle. China generated more electricity from coal last year than ever before, though early figures this year suggest consumption has dipped somewhat as solar and wind generation soars.

The world’s largest emitter of greenhouse gases has now set out its stall and as Asia-based energy watchers have long known, the question is not if Beijing’s cautious promise will prove a stepping stone towards more radical cuts – but just how early they will be achieved.