The China Pivot: What will Beijing’s climate leadership look like?

World leaders are flocking to Beijing. In the first weeks of 2026, Canada’s Mark Carney, the UK’s Sir Keir Starmer and South Korea’s Lee Jae-myung have all made high-profile visits - an unmistakable signal of global power recalibrating. China’s dominance in clean energy manufacturing is already well established: from solar panels and batteries to wind turbines. The question now is whether this transition remains merely made in China, or whether it is increasingly being shaped and led from Beijing. Christiana Figueres, Tom Rivett-Carnac and Paul Dickinson consider what this shift may mean for the future of climate leadership - and for the institutions, alliances and norms that have shaped global climate cooperation for decades. They’re joined by scholar of China’s political economy and climate governance Yixian Sun , who has recently advised the UK government on their engagement with China. He unpacks the country’s own vision of leadership, its evolving role in the Global South, and the risks and opportunities of an increasingly multipolar climate order. As the world recalibrates around China’s growing role, how does Beijing see itself? And what are other governments actually seeking as they turn towards it? We spoke to the man advising the UK government ahead of Keir Starmer’s arrival in Beijing. 🎤 Leave us your voice notes and questions for upcoming episodes on SpeakPipe Join the conversation: Instagram @outrageoptimism LinkedIn @outrageoptimism Or get in touch with us via this form . Producer: Ben Weaver-Hincks Planning: Caitlin Hanrahan Assistant Producer: Caillin McDaid Exec Producer: Ellie Clifford This is a Persephonica production for Global Optimism and is part of the Acast Creator Network. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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The China Pivot: What will Beijing’s climate leadership look like? is an episode from Outrage + Optimism by Persephonica .

This episode is 34:57 long.

This episode was published on Jan 29, 2026.

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