Who Drives Carbon Neutrality in China? Text Mining and Network Analysis

China has recently declared its role as a leading developing country in actively practicing carbon neutrality. In fact, its carbon-neutral policy has accelerated from a gradual and macroscopic perspective and has been actively pursued given the changes not only in the overall social system but also in its impact on various stakeholders. This study analyzed the patterns of carbon neutrality (CN) and the actors of policy promotion in China from a long-term perspective. It collected policy discourses related to CN posted on Chinese websites from 2000 to 2022 and conducted text mining and network analysis. The results revealed that the pattern of CN promotion in China followed an exploration–demonstration–industrialization–digitalization model, similar to other policies. Moreover, the policy promotion sector developed in the direction of unification–diversification–specialization. Analysis of policy promotion actors found that enterprises are the key driver of continuous CN. In addition, the public emerged as a critical actor in promoting CN during the 12th–13th Five-Year Plans (2011–2020). Moreover, the central government emerged as a key driving actor of CN during the 14th Five-Year Plan. This was a result of the emphasis on efficiency in the timing and mission process of achieving CN. Furthermore, based on the experience of COVID-19, the rapid transition of Chinese society toward CN emphasizes the need for a central government with strong executive power. Based on these results, this study presents constructive suggestions for carbon-neutral development in China.