BEIJING/WASHINGTON — China is considering whether to bid to host the 2028 United Nations climate summit, known as COP33, a move that could significantly raise Beijing’s profile in global climate diplomacy while also exposing the country’s enormous greenhouse-gas footprint to intensified international scrutiny.
Two people familiar with the matter told AFP that Chinese authorities are weighing a possible bid, but no final decision has been made and there is no confirmed timetable for a decision. The host country does not need to be selected this year.
The development comes as Beijing increasingly portrays itself as a major force in the global transition toward cleaner energy and as the United States’ climate policies have become a major point of international debate.
China is already the world’s leading exporter of several key green technologies, including solar panels, electric vehicles, wind power equipment and batteries. Hosting COP33 could give Beijing a powerful international platform to showcase those industries and promote its climate diplomacy.
But there is an obvious contradiction.
China is also the world’s largest greenhouse-gas emitter, meaning a Chinese-hosted climate summit would place the country’s environmental record under an unusually intense global spotlight.
Why COP33 matters
The UN climate conference is not simply another international gathering. COP meetings bring together governments from around the world to negotiate efforts to reduce greenhouse-gas emissions, adapt to climate change and mobilize climate finance.
The summit scheduled for 2028 would be COP33, and the hosting responsibility falls to the Asia-Pacific region under the UN’s rotating regional system.
COP31 is scheduled to take place in Türkiye in 2026, followed by COP32 in Ethiopia in 2027.
The competition for COP33 has become more open after India withdrew its offer in April 2026 without publicly providing a detailed explanation. Reuters reported at the time that India’s decision was communicated to the Asia-Pacific regional group.
South Korea has also previously indicated interest in hosting the summit, meaning a Chinese bid could create a potentially significant regional contest.
China has not officially entered the race
Despite reports that Beijing is considering the idea, China has not yet formally submitted a bid.
The UN Framework Convention on Climate Change secretariat said it had not received a nomination from the Asia-Pacific regional group.
Under the UN process, countries in the region first consult among themselves before agreeing on a host. The regional group’s chair then formally submits the nomination to the UN climate secretariat.
That means Beijing’s reported deliberations represent an early stage rather than a confirmed Chinese candidacy.
A climate showcase—and a potential political test
For China, hosting COP33 could offer much more than an opportunity to discuss emissions.
Beijing has spent years building its position as a major player in renewable energy and clean-technology manufacturing. Chinese companies dominate important portions of global supply chains for solar equipment, electric vehicles and batteries.
A COP hosted in China could therefore allow Beijing to argue that its industrial transformation is an essential part of the world’s response to climate change.
It could also strengthen China’s diplomatic influence at a time when its relationship with Washington remains highly consequential for global climate policy.
But the same summit could expose Beijing to uncomfortable questions.
China’s enormous population and manufacturing base make it the world’s largest greenhouse-gas emitter. While Beijing has pledged to achieve carbon neutrality before 2060, its current target calls for a relatively modest 7% to 10% reduction in economy-wide greenhouse-gas emissions from peak levels by 2035, according to the AFP report carried by Taipei Times and other outlets.
That tension—between China’s dominance in clean-energy manufacturing and its enormous overall emissions—would likely become one of the central issues surrounding any Chinese COP33 bid.
The US-China factor could become even more important
Another consideration is the future of US-China climate relations.
Climate cooperation has previously provided an important channel of engagement between Washington and Beijing, including during the administrations of Barack Obama and Joe Biden.
The timing of COP33 could make that relationship particularly significant because the 2028 US presidential election is scheduled for the same year.
According to reporting carried by The Straits Times, the summit would likely take place shortly after the US presidential election, potentially creating an opening for renewed climate cooperation depending on the outcome.
At the same time, Washington’s climate policy has shifted sharply under President Donald Trump, who has again moved away from the Paris climate framework while emphasizing fossil-fuel development.
That could give Beijing an opportunity to present itself as a more consistent advocate of international climate cooperation.
China faces a credibility test
A Chinese COP33 bid would therefore carry both diplomatic opportunity and political risk.
If Beijing hosts the summit, it could showcase its clean-energy industries, strengthen its role in international climate negotiations and potentially position itself as a counterweight to Washington.
But hosting the world’s most important climate negotiations would also invite questions about China’s coal consumption, emissions trajectory and the pace at which it intends to reduce pollution.
For now, however, there is no confirmed Chinese bid.
The immediate question is whether Beijing will turn its reported internal discussions into a formal proposal—and whether the Asia-Pacific region ultimately chooses China, South Korea or another candidate to host COP33.
That decision could determine whether the 2028 climate summit becomes another major diplomatic stage for Beijing—or a global examination of whether China’s climate ambitions match its environmental record.
For now, the race has only begun.
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