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A danger or an opportunity? Post-Copenhagen China and climate change

In the latest edition of China Analysis, published by the European Council on Foreign Relations and Asia Centre, we look at how Beijing views climate policies in the wake of the Copenhagen conference. China was blamed for forcing the conference into disarray and preventing a binding commitment on carbon emissions. In Climate policies after Copenhagen, the authors analyse the response to the conference within China itself, as it faces the worst environmental position imaginable, threatening its system and its interests.

• China will not sacrifice economic development and growth to enter international commitments, but wants to restructure its economy towards low-carbon industries.
• Beijing believes a global move towards a low-carbon economy presents it with economic opportunities for the future.
• If Europe doesn't fight for better international standards in these new industries, from batteries to solar energy and ‘clean' vehicles, the future of environmental technology could belong to the Chinese economy, just as it already does in sectors like mobile phones.
• China is adept at manipulating systems to deal with climate change so it gains full economic advantage from them. For instance Beijing is miles ahead of Europe in formulating carbon taxes, and will make sure that such taxes work to its own benefit.
• For Beijing, environmental diplomacy and its economy are more important than environmental considerations.

Download the latest edition of China Analysis: Climate policies after Copenhagen here.

China Analysis is also published in French. You can download the French version of Climate policies after Copenhagen on Asia Centre's website.

You can also download previous editions of China Analysis here.  

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NOTES: 

1. China Analysis represents the views of its authors, not the collective views of ECFR and its council members or Asia Centre.
2. The European Council on Foreign Relations (ECFR) is the first pan-European think-tank. Launched in October 2007, its objective is to conduct research and promote informed debate across Europe on the development of coherent and effective European values based foreign policy. ecfr.eu
3. Asia Centre, founded in August 2005, conducts research and organises debate on international relations and strategic issues, as well as on the political and economic transformations in the Asia-Pacific; promotes cooperation and second track dialogue with partners in Asia, Europe and the world; publishes timely information and analysis from the region, executive briefs and reports from our research team. Asia Centre is based at Sciences Po (Paris), a leading university for political and social sciences. http://www.centreasia.org/