China and International Climate Leadership

Abstract

The world is looking up to the leadership of China in combating climate change with the decision of the United States (US) to withdraw from the Paris Agreement in 2017. If China was seen as a hard-liner in climate change negotiations that led up to the framing of the Kyoto Protocol in 1997, its shift in stance toward an active player in addressing climate change was visible in the negotiations that led to the 2015 Paris Climate Change Agreement. Being the largest emitter of carbons globally, China will no longer be able to shy away from taking up the responsibility for addressing the climate problem. China's rapidly growing emissions, its vulnerability to natural hazards caused by climate change, and hegemonic ambitions are the driving factors that persuade China to engage with the climate change negotiations proactively. This shift is also seen as part of a Chinese strategy to enhance its international image and thereby to achieve its foreign policy goals. In a post-pandemic world, China's handling of the climate change issue would be crucial in influencing the US position on the Paris Agreement. This paper analyses the factors that make China's participation inevitable in the Paris Agreement. The paper also deals with how China's engagement with the climate issue will benefit it ultimately in enhancing its soft power strategy.