Key facts
- China ruled out hosting the Cop33 UN climate summit in 2028 after months of deliberations, the Guardian reported.
- Under UNFCCC rules, an Asian country should host the 2028 summit.
- India's government considered offering to host Cop33 for several months earlier this year but decided against it.
- The Guardian understands Uzbekistan, South Korea, Indonesia and Thailand are among countries mulling a bid.
- Cop33 is scheduled for November 6 to 17, 2028, and will include the global stocktake.
China has ruled out hosting the Cop33 UN climate summit in 2028 after months of deliberations, the Guardian reported on November 12, 2026, leaving the field open for other Asian countries to hold it. Under UN Framework Convention on Climate Change rules, an Asian country should host in 2028.
The decision will disappoint many countries and climate experts who had hoped the world's biggest emitter would take the lead on the global stage, the Guardian reported. Al Gore, the former US vice-president, told the Guardian he would have been very much in favour of China hosting the summit and said it was too bad.
It is not clear why China decided against hosting. Several experts who spoke to the Guardian suggested the US electoral cycle was likely a factor. The next US presidential election will take place on November 7, 2028, and Cop33 is scheduled for November 6 to 17 that year.
Gareth Redmond-King, the international lead at the Energy and Climate Intelligence Unit thinktank, told the Guardian that China's position as an industrial powerhouse would have made it a formidable contender to hold the summit. He said it would be significant for the world's biggest emitter and second-biggest economy to host a climate Cop.
India's government considered offering to host Cop33 for several months earlier this year but also decided against it, the Guardian reported. The Guardian understands that other countries mulling a bid include Uzbekistan, South Korea, Indonesia and Thailand. No decision on a host is likely to be made at Cop31, which is ongoing in Turkey, with the Turkish and Australian governments jointly presiding.