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Chinese companies are not just pouring concrete along the Belt and Road. Financing is a big part of China’s overseas involvement. There has been much discussion about China’s involvement in coal projects overseas. Critics point to the tremendous carbon footprint it may create, and call for a change in the practice. Analyses have highlighted the complicated dynamics that enable the continued build-up of coal fired power capacities around the developing world, against the stern warning of climate scientists.

China is now at a crucial juncture in its monumental transformation from the biggest emitter of greenhouse gases to a low-carbon economy. Its goal has been very clear since the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change reached the Paris Agreement in 2015.

On July 3, the State Council issued its Air Quality Action Plan for the next three years (2018-2020), a renewal of its previous five-year program for air pollution prevention and control. So far, this is the clearest indication of the Chinese government’s determination to continue its campaign of environmental cleanup—the so-called “Battle for Blue Skies.” It’s effectively announcing to the world that its commitment to green development for the country is still going strong as the Chinese economy settles into slower growth rates with a looming trade war on the horizon.