In a sweeping foreign policy address on Sunday, Chinese President Xi Jinping promised to invest in clean energy, build scientific coalitions, and support other countries’ efforts to adapt to climate change.

Speaking in Beijing at the inaugural Belt and Road Forum, a gathering of 130 nations with which China hopes to build a massive trade network, Xi called finance “the lifeblood of modern economy” and pledged to spend $900 billion on infrastructure abroad.

“We propose the establishment of an international coalition for green development on the Belt and Road, and we will provide support to related countries in adapting to climate change,” Xi said at the conference, which drew 29 heads of state and established what CNN called the makings of “China’s new world order.” The full text of his keynote speech was published in English by the government-run propaganda newspaper Global Times.

“We need to seize opportunities presented by the new round of change in energy mix and the revolution in energy technologies to develop global energy interconnection and achieve green and low-carbon development,” Xi said Sunday. Read more…