Is China a developing country or not? This question already sparked controversy at COP27 in Egypt. And it also came to the fore at COP28 from the very beginning. After all, a lot of money is at stake: Developed countries have to make a financial contribution toward global climate action while developing countries are entitled to aid. At the start of the COP, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) was the first country that did not belong to the Annex I countries of the Framework Convention – i.e., countries already considered developed countries in 1992 – to make a climate finance pledge. Instead, it is one of the countries that can still call itself a developing country when it comes to climate action.