China plans to expand its national carbon market to include more industries under quota management, covering about 80 percent of the country's total carbon dioxide emissions, officials said.
The Ministry of Ecology and Environment and 17 other government departments have jointly issued a plan on addressing climate change for the 15th Five-Year Plan period (2026-2030), urging efforts to fully leverage the role of the national carbon market in supporting the control of both the total volume and intensity of carbon emissions, and to extend the market to more industries and greenhouse gases.
In 2025, a total of 3,378 key emitters were included in the carbon emission trading market's quota management, covering more than 65 percent of the country's total carbon dioxide emissions, according to data from the ministry.
Over the past five years since the market was established, cumulative trading volume of carbon emission quotas has exceeded 926 million tons, with the total turnover amounting to 62.475 billion yuan (about 9.23 billion U.S. dollars).
In the first half of 2026, the trading volume reached 52.96 million tons, up about 37 percent year on year.
According to the plan, the new round of expansion will bring chemicals, petrochemicals, civil aviation, papermaking, and other industries to market.
"Industries that have already peaked their carbon emissions, or those with saturated production capacity, should be the first to be subject to the total carbon emission control. In the meantime, a paid allocation of quotas should be implemented, gradually tightening the emission baseline for free quota allocations," said Zhang Xin, chief economist of the National Climate Change Strategy Research and International Cooperation Center.
Zhang also pointed to market prices, saying that the involvement of more emitters can help keep prices at a proper level.
"We need to shift from market activities gradually focused on compliance to those focused on carbon asset management, and develop carbon finance and other derivatives in an orderly manner. This will allow the carbon emission market to find more effective prices, providing economic and technological drivers for the transformation toward green and low-carbon development," Zhang said.
China to expand national carbon emission trading market
An age-old feather duster craft in north China's Hebei Province has found new life online, as livestreaming turns a village tradition into a source of income for elderly residents. In Luan'nan County, Tangshan City, Liu Wenhao, Party secretary of Zhangmawan Village, is promoting the village's handmade feather dusters alongside fellow villagers in livestreams. Since 2024, he has led villagers in bringing the traditional craft online, quickly turning it into an internet sensation.
Elderly villagers now craft dusters while also serving as online hosts, participating in livestreams and welcoming tourists. Liu Huiying is one of them.
"This is no small income. I earn about 20,000 yuan (about 2,981 U.S. dollars) a year, which is more than enough. They call me an internet celebrity. I'm happy," she said.
The feather duster craft has a long history in Zhangmawan. Once a sideline for villagers during the agricultural off-season, craftsmen worked from dawn to dusk only to sell a single duster for 0.3 to 0.5 yuan. Sales were slightly better at rural fairs, but earnings were barely enough to make a living. As modern cleaning products diversified, traditional feather dusters gradually faded from daily life.
In recent years, with the rise of short-video platforms, several young people in the village began experimenting with short videos. Their first video showing the making of a feather duster garnered more than 600,000 views.
"Our village's traditional craft was well-known throughout the region. So we thought, with so many people here skilled at making feather dusters, why not sell them online and help boost their incomes?" said Liu.
Zhangmawan has more than 200 residents over the age of 60. To boost their incomes and pass on the craft, product transformation was key. Young villagers pooled their ideas and decided to enter the cultural and creative market.
While veteran artisans persisted in handmade production, younger people focused on innovative designs, launching new items such as car hangings, bag charms, desktop ornaments and cat teasers, tailored to modern aesthetics and lifestyles.
Online popularity has also boosted offline tourism. The village has leveraged its advantages to offer craft workshops, rural sightseeing, farm meals and educational study tours, attracting a large number of visitors and children.
"You can hang it on a schoolbag or car keys -- it can go in many places. And if something gets dirty, you can use it to sweep," said Meng Shixuan, a young visitor.
"We want to keep updating our cultural and creative feather duster products, and through short videos and livestreaming, develop the village's study tour and sightseeing businesses to provide more jobs and income opportunities," Liu said.
Chinese village turns traditional feather duster craft into online hit
