China in global biodiversity governance: normative engagement at COP15

China served as President of the Fifteenth Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity (COP15). The event, which was held in two parts in 2021–22, was a major milestone in global environmental governance and a watershed moment for China in its efforts to green its global image. Through a collaborative event ethnography of COP15, we analyze China’s efforts to influence global environmental norms and how such efforts were perceived by participants. We examine China’s pursuit of discursive influence through the concept of “ecological civilization,” and pursuit of policy influence through the promotion of China’s systems of ecological redlines and national parks. We find that China’s efforts met with mixed reception. Ecological civilization remained a contested discourse among COP15 participants, whereas China’s governance models, particularly ecological redlines and national parks, were broadly viewed as valuable policy innovations. These findings suggest that China’s normative engagement is advancing less through the diffusion of environmental ideas than through growing international appeal of its environmental policies and biodiversity governance practices. Our discussion further examines discursive resonance, institutionalization, and the spatialization of policies and practices. We conclude by reflecting on what COP15 reveals about China’s role in global biodiversity governance and the relationship between environmental governance and normative engagement.