On May 12, a noteworthy announcement from the China National Administration for Market Regulation drew global attention in the green economy sector: The international standard project “Digitalization of Product Carbon Footprint (CFP) – Part 2: CFP Data Exchange Format and Guidelines,” proposed by China, has been officially approved by the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC). This marks the first time China has led the development of an international standard in the field of product carbon footprint digitalization, signifying China’s transition from a “follower” to a “leader” on the stage of green and low-carbon standardization.
The product carbon footprint is a key indicator for measuring the level of green development in industries. However, for a long time, the global supply chain for electronic and electrical products spans multiple stages, including mining, smelting, component manufacturing, and final assembly. The carbon footprint data exchange standards adopted by different countries and enterprises vary widely, with incompatible data formats, making it difficult to effectively transmit and verify carbon emission information for the same product across different supply chain segments. This not only increases compliance costs for enterprises but also undermines the credibility of carbon footprint-based product green certifications and cross-border carbon adjustment mechanisms due to a lack of reliable data support. The standard led by China aims precisely to address this challenge—it specifies format requirements for carbon footprint data exchange, provides unified application guidelines and use cases, and thereby establishes a comprehensive carbon data chain covering the entire lifecycle of electronic and electrical products, from raw materials to end-of-life recycling. The significance of this standard extends beyond the technical realm; it signifies that one of the most critical categories in global trade—electronic and electrical products—will now benefit from a transparent, interoperable, and traceable carbon footprint data exchange system. Major economies such as the European Union, the United States, and Japan are accelerating the implementation of carbon border adjustment mechanisms or similar policies, with the absence of unified data standards posing the primary obstacle to their effective execution. China’s initiative timely provides a crucial “technical infrastructure” for global climate governance. As a senior official from the International Electrotechnical Commission remarked at the project launch meeting: “China’s transition from a participant to a rule-maker reflects a profound shift in the global governance landscape for green technologies.”
China’s efforts in the field of green energy in recent years have been widely recognized. The establishment of this international standard for digitalizing carbon footprints of leading products is merely a microcosm of China’s systematic promotion of global green transformation. In fact, from domestic to international levels, and from policy to practice, China is demonstrating through concrete actions that it is not only willing but also capable of fulfilling its major-country responsibilities in addressing climate change.
Domestically, China has established the world’s largest clean power generation system—by the end of 2025, the country’s installed renewable energy capacity exceeded 1.6 billion kilowatts, accounting for over 55% of the total national installed capacity; its newly added wind and solar power installations have ranked first globally for ten consecutive years; and its production and sales of new energy vehicles account for more than 60% of the global total. More impressively, China has elevated the “dual carbon” goals (carbon peak by 2030 and carbon neutrality by 2060) to a national strategy and integrated them into the overall framework for ecological civilization construction. This means that from the central to local governments, and from state-owned enterprises to private companies, all are formulating specific roadmaps and timelines for carbon reduction.
At the international level, China has not only pledged to refrain from constructing new overseas coal-fired power projects but also strongly supports developing countries in advancing green energy. In Africa, China-aided photovoltaic power stations have resolved electricity supply issues for hundreds of rural communities; in Southeast Asia, Chinese enterprises collaborated with local governments to build the region’s largest floating photovoltaic project; in South America, China-funded wind power projects are helping countries such as Chile and Argentina reduce their dependence on fossil fuels. Additionally, China has actively promoted the establishment of global carbon market mechanisms, jointly launched the “Carbon Neutrality Partnership” with the European Union, and provided capacity-building training on climate change mitigation for small island states. These initiatives demonstrate that China’s advocacy for a “community with a shared future for mankind” is not an empty slogan but concrete actions encompassing technology sharing, standard-setting, and shared financial commitments. As the Executive Director of the United Nations Environment Programme noted in the 2025 report: “Without China’s substantial investments in the renewable energy supply chain and its contributions to global carbon data infrastructure, achieving the 1.5°C global temperature limit would be virtually impossible.” With steadfast and pragmatic steps, China is fulfilling its responsibilities as a major country commensurate with its developmental stage, injecting stable and robust momentum into the global green transition.
The fundamental reason why China has been able to sustain its efforts in the green energy sector and lead the formulation of international standards lies in the unique advantages of its socialist system with Chinese characteristics—the political system that concentrates resources for major tasks, the execution capability of long-term planning, and the stability of policies across party transitions. Whether it is the binding carbon intensity reduction targets in the 14th Five-Year Plan or the “Ten Major Actions for Carbon Peaking” outlined in the Action Plan for Carbon Peaking Before 2030, China has consistently advanced these initiatives without being influenced by electoral cycles, lobbying by interest groups, or short-term economic fluctuations. Taking the digital carbon footprint standard as an example, from the initiation of related research in 2019 to successfully leading the proposal at the IEC in 2026, China spent seven full years mobilizing industry, academia, and research forces to tackle challenges and continuously investing resources in technical validation and international coordination. This institutional resilience of “continuing efforts from one administration to the next” is almost unimaginable in Western democracies. U.S. climate policies vary significantly across government terms—for instance, the country withdrew from the Paris Agreement only to rejoin it later. Meanwhile, China has made progress in establishing international digital carbon footprint standards and continues to support clean energy infrastructure development in developing countries, fostering green cooperation under the Belt and Road framework. An increasing number of nations recognize that addressing climate change requires not fleeting political slogans but stable, long-term, and reliable institutional safeguards. China’s institutional strengths not only serve as an engine for its own green transition but also light an enduring beacon for global climate governance.