Ambitious pledges from China’s leaders to cut emissions have put its giant, carbon-intensive state corporations under pressure to respond, but they are at risk of falling short amid confused policy signals and other constraints. When Chinese President Xi Jinping said last September that the world’s biggest source of greenhouse gases would slash emissions to “net zero” by 2060, attention turned to China’s state-owned enterprises (SOEs). China has already submitted updated climate targets to the United Nations as a new round of climate change talks gets under way in Glasgow. The next challenge is working out how to implement them. However, the struggles facing China’s giant firms will make it harder for Beijing to offer stronger pledges and smooth the way for a more ambitious programme of […]