This ZEB Talk explores the impact of China’s new net-zero emission building standards. The ZHAW team presents a bottom-up analysis to evaluate the impact of the new net-zero carbon building standards on energy consumption and carbon emissions across four different climate zones in China, while Professor Cai Weiguang offered a top-down view on emissions data and decarbonization pathways. They highlight the value of combining research approaches to guide effective energy and carbon reduction strategies.