The Chinese perspective on the green transition: strategies and outcomes

Gilberto Libânio, Diana Chaib, Eric Serbinenko and Monique Botelho
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Gilberto Libânio: Cedeplar/UFMG
Diana Chaib: Cedeplar/UFMG
Eric Serbinenko: Cedeplar/UFMG
Monique Botelho: UFMG

No 698, Textos para Discussão Cedeplar-UFMG from Cedeplar, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais

Abstract: This article examines China’s green transition from a political economy perspective, emphasizing the interaction between the developmental state, Five-Year Plans, and multilevel governance arrangements. It argues that China’s capacity to advance decarbonization and productive restructuring is rooted in the combination of long-term strategic planning, decentralized implementation, and policy instruments such as green finance, carbon markets, and pilot zones. By integrating top-down coordination with bottom-up experimentation, this framework has supported the expansion of renewable energy, technological upgrading, and improvements in green complexity indicators. At the same time, the persistence of high emission levels and carbon-intensive sectors highlights the non-linear and contradictory nature of the transition process. The Chinese experience thus provides relevant, albeit not directly replicable, insights for the design of sustainable development strategies in Global South economies.

Keywords: Green transition; China; Developmental state; Environmental policy. (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O44 O53 P21 Q58 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Pages: 23 pages
Date: 2026-03
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