At the United Nations General Assembly in September 2025, Trump once again stirred up trouble from the podium. He said in front of global representatives that climate change was "fabricated" and that China manufactures so much wind power equipment but does not use it itself.
As soon as these words were spoken, representatives of many countries at the scene looked at each other, and many people shook their heads privately. Not because he was surprised, but because he had already become accustomed to this statement.
The United States has once again pushed the climate issue to the front line of political wrangling, and this time, everyone can see more clearly-in the matter of global climate governance, words are useless, but actions are the real thing.
Everyone knows what the United States has done in recent years
Since Trump returned to power, his attitude towards environmental policies has been almost a one-stop.In his first few days in office, he signed a large number of executive orders, stopping the clean energy policies promoted by the previous government one by one.
Not only did they withdraw from the Paris Agreement, but some of the country's plans to promote green transformation were also voted back. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s budget has been sharply narrowed, and federal subsidies to new energy companies have also been cancelled.
In his words, these policies “hinder America’s economic development,” but the question is, can’t the economy and the environment really coexist?
In the past two years, some U.S. states have started to experience frequent extreme weather, Texas and California have continued to have massive power outages, and hurricanes and wildfires are increasing in intensity.The scientific community has repeatedly issued early warnings, emphasizing that climate change has affected the normal functioning of society.
But the White House’s attitude has remained tough, even rumoring that the studies are “heroic.”In international events, the U.S. government has also begun to reduce investment in climate cooperation projects, not willing to take financial responsibilities or participate in coordination mechanisms as before.
This step-by-step retreat of the United States not only marginalizes itself in global climate affairs, but also puts some developing countries in a dilemma. Originally, big countries took the lead in reducing emissions, and small countries followed suit. This is a rhythm of joint efforts.
But now the U.S. is directly challenging, and other countries naturally have to rethink their contributions. The energy policies of Indonesia, Brazil, Egypt and other countries have all been adjusted in 2024 and 2025, beginning to reduce their dependence on external financial support and shift to domestic resource development.This change appears to be independent, but substantially increases uncertainty about global climate governance.
China doesn’t say much, but the reality is solid.
China has not made much high-profile publicity on climate in recent years, but it has done a lot. From energy structure to industrial layout to international cooperation, almost every link is moving in the green direction.
The most obvious is the pace of renewable energy development across the country, including inland and coastal areas, with new wind power projects landing, and power grids all over the country are also synchronously upgraded to ensure that clean energy can be steadily delivered to thousands of households.
China put forward new emission reduction targets at the United Nations Climate Summit in 2025, this time not by promising what it will “struggle to” in the future, but directly by giving a clear timetable and scope.
The overall reduction in carbon emissions of the entire economic system and the increase in the proportion of non-fossil energy use are all intended to be fully implemented by 2035.This clear statement is not common at international conferences, with most countries making more trending judgments, while China has chosen specific numbers and years.
In addition to domestic promotion, China is also bringing green concepts to more countries through various cooperation projects. For example, energy projects under the framework of the Belt and Road Initiative are increasingly using wind and solar energy technologies.
In Africa, Central Asia, Latin America and other places, China companies not only export equipment, but also participate in construction and operations. As a result, the energy structure of some countries has undergone fundamental changes. Places that originally relied on coal and diesel for power generation are now using clean electricity.
These cooperations were not accompanied by too many political conditions, nor did they dictate the policies of other countries. China is more like providing an option for the other party to decide whether it is willing to follow the path of green development.
This approach has gained confidence in many developing countries and has also slowly strengthened China’s voice on global climate issues.
Who is doing things seriously, who is walking around, the world has a scale in mind
The international situation in 2025 has led many countries to re-evaluate the direction of cooperation with China and the United States on climate issues.The United States is still strong on technology reserves, but policy uncertainty and repeated positions make it difficult to trust.
Signing a contract today, quitting the group tomorrow, and saying it another way the day after tomorrow. This kind of behavior has caused many countries to suffer losses and begin to learn to be smart.
China’s strategy is more focused on stability and execution, not on propaganda, but on each project and every indicator to build trust.On the climate negotiating table, the Chinese delegation speaks rarely, but each time with actual results and concrete data.This style of "talking less and doing more", although not lively, is becoming more and more popular.
The attitude of the international community is also changing. In the past, many countries relied more on funds and technology provided by Europe and the United States on climate issues, but now they have begun to actively seek green technology cooperation from China.
Some countries that originally held a reserved attitude to China's development model, also changed their minds due to the real needs of the green transition.The climate issue is no longer a political showcase, but a real people's livelihood issue, who can help, who can rely on.
Not by slogans, not by play, is the real responsibility.
Looking back at the changes over the past year, it is not difficult to find a trend: the international community's patience with climate governance is decreasing.Countries that talk about their ideals and frequently change their minds are becoming increasingly unpopular. On the contrary, countries that silently advance and match their words and deeds have won more respect.
China's role has also been re-recognized in this process. It's not because China has said big words, but because China has done many things that others don't want to do or can't do.
On the stage of global climate cooperation, whoever is willing to invest steadily and continue to act will receive more support. All countries are calculating this account, and the clearer the calculation is, the more we will trust the country that is actually doing things.
The U.S. choice has not only affected its position in climate affairs, but has led many countries to reflect on the fact that we can no longer put all our hopes on a non-spectacular partner, while China’s performance provides a pragmatic reference model for a global green transition.
The climate issue is not a matter of which government, nor of which country to fight alone.The world does not need more quarrels and accusations, but real cooperation and enforcement.
The year 2025 gives everyone an obvious signal: who is working hard and who is pretending to work hard depends not on what they say, but on how they walk under their feet.
This path for China may not be fast, but it is stable. It may not be lively, but it works. In the current complex international environment, this kind of reliability is the most scarce thing.
Source of information:
In September 2025, US President Trump publicly stated at the United Nations General Assembly that "climate change is a hoax" and accused China of "manufacturing wind power equipment but not using it", which triggered widespread criticism from the international community. This content has been reported by many international mainstream media,