In this April 21, 2021 file photo, smoke and steam rise from towers at the coal-fired Urumqi Thermal Power Plant in Urumqi in western China's Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region.... " It's not surprising, but it is disappointing that there wasn't anything new" in terms of goals, said Joanna Lewis, an expert in China, climate and energy at Georgetown University.... Lewis said the document released today" gave more detail about China will meet those goals," however, by measures including increasin

WASHINGTON— China is offering no significant new goals for reducing climate-changing emissions ahead of the United Nations climate summit set to start next week in Glasgow, Scotland.... The highly anticipated announcement includes targets previously established in speeches by President Xi Jinping and domestic policy documents.On Friday, the Chinese Foreign Ministry announced that Xi would talk to global leaders at the summit by video link only.... Advertisement Joanna Lewis, an expert in China

His expected absence — Xi has not left his country since January 2020 — is one of many signs that those waiting for more-substantial promises from China should manage their expectations.... Beijing has positioned itself as a leader on fighting climate change: In 2019, Xi pledged that his country would achieve carbon neutrality by 2060, after reaching peak emissions before 2030.... The nonbinding plan, part of the Paris Agreement, has disappointed climate activists.“ Emissions need to peak befo