Two speeches from China’s top leaders delivered just days apart have provided the most insight yet into the bumpy and contentious path the country will likely take to temper the world’s biggest source of planet-warming emissions.
President Xi Jinping and Premier Li Keqiang painted a portrait of a country that plans to put national security — including from energy shortages — and development first, even as it pursues a green transition.
The country will put huge investments into its world-leading renewable energy sector, but while also continuing to support the polluting fossil fuels that provide the bulk of its energy.