China's emission target 'disappointing': EU climate chief

European Commission President Ursula Von der Leyen speaks during the "Climate Summit 2025" on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly at the UN headquarters in New York City on September 24, 2025. [AFP]

The European Union criticised China's targets for cutting planet-warming gases Thursday, saying they fell "well short" of what the bloc thought was "both achievable and necessary" for the world's top polluter.

Beijing announced its first-ever absolute climate targets at a UN summit on Wednesday, pledging to reduce economy-wide emissions by 7-10 percent by 2035 relative to the year of the country's peak emissions, believed to be 2025.