China’s Environmental Diplomacy

Yu Hongyuan

Global environmental governance was initiated at the 1972 UN Conference on the Environment. The 2012 UN Conference on Sustainable Development or Rio+20， the 2014 First UN Environment Assembly and the 2015 Climate Conference in Paris marked the transition of global environmental governance. China has always attached great importance to and actively participated in global environmental governance. In the context of the transformation of global environmental governance， China has become an important participant， contributor and leader in building global ecological civilization.

The Evolution and Transformation of Global Environmental Governance

A loose system on global environmental governance took form in early 1990s， which had the UN Environment Program at the core， other international environmental institutions as the supplement， and the UN Environment Assembly and the Conference among the Parties to the Convention as the ties. Global environmental governance aims to regulate and advance the global environmental protection through a variety of organizations， policy tools， financing mechanisms， rules， procedures and paradigms. Response to climate change， ozone layer pollution control and biodiversity protection are the most representative areas of global environmental governance.

In terms of the structure， international organizations and institutions with the UN framework at the core are regarded as the “hardware system” of global environmental governance. As for the “software system”， various resolutions， declarations， conventions and international environmental laws provide a legal basis for global environmental governance. In particular， the environmental conventions and international environmental laws in the form of a multilateral environment agreements （MEAs） are legally binding. International conferences at various levels related to the theme of environment and sustainable development， including the world summit on the international political agenda， provide platforms for dialogue， debate， consultation and negotiation between the parties in concern. Global environmental governance mainly involves sovereign states， whose endeavor is supplemented by the participation of non-state actors. The sovereign states perform the function of handling environmental affairs through consultation and negotiation， and undertake the obligation of implementing MEAs and UN environmental and climate conventions.

Marked by the 2012 UN Conference on Sustainable Development or Rio+20， the 2014 Reform of the UN Environment Assembly and the signing of the Paris Agreement in 2015， the dominance of Western developed countries is giving way to the joint participation and leadership of both developed and developing countries in global environmental governance. The shift from national centralism to the joint construction and development of state， market and society， from the single issue of environmental protection to the high-quality sustainable development concept that takes into account environment， growth and equity， the theories and actors related to global environmental governance have also developed to varying degrees. With the current twists and turns in the process of globalization， the economic downturn and the COVID-19 pandemic have caused a certain impact on the global environmental governance， and the international community has been seeking to promote climate and environmental governance in the midst of global economic recovery.

First， the UN-centered global environmental governance mechanism keeps advancing. In June 2012 Rio+20 was held in Rio de Janeiro， Brazil， At the meeting the document The Future We Want was adopted， which assessed the progress and outlook of global environmental governance， and endeavored to promote green economy， sustainable governance and institutional reform. The 2015 UN Sustainable Development Summit adopted 17 Sustainable Development Goals （SDGs） and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development， and the Paris Agreement was reached at the end of 2015. These global agreements have become important nodes in the reform of global environmental governance.

Second， the entities of global environmental governance characterized by the North-South pattern show complex changes. Under the current global environmental governance system， the traditional divides between developing and developed countries， and between the south and north camps still exist in general， but in some specific situations， there are multipolar phenomena. Regarding different environmental problems， due to the different development modes and national conditions of each country， the countries have different starting points， attitudes and approaches to environmental problems.

Third， local governments， social organizations and enterprises around the world are playing an increasingly important role in environmental governance. They formulate local environmental protection standards and cooperate with transnational local environment organizations to promote global green development; and raise the publics awareness of environmental issues through extensive publicity and education. The transnational corporations or enterprises operating international businesses are bound to be influenced by international environmental policies， and they meanwhile serving as important carriers of international capital flow and technological diffusion are playing an increasingly important role in promoting global environmental governance.

Concepts and Practice of Chinas Environmental Diplomacy

The transformation of global environmental governance faces the pressing need to overcome the dilemma of leadership deficit， public goods deficit and collective action logic. The US and Western countries are increasingly reluctant to provide public goods for global environmental governance， questioning the principle of common but differentiated responsibilities， and they reduce technological and financial support for developing countries in terms of environmental governance. In particular， repeated withdrawals of the US from the conventions and the rise of environmental populism in Western countries have led to stagnation in global environmental governance. In contrast， amid the transformation of global environmental governance， China has integrated ecological civilization into the grand blueprint of governance so that China has become a beautiful country with even bluer sky， lush mountains and limpid water. For one thing， China has made remarkable achievements in improving its domestic environmental governance; for another， Chinas willingness and ability to fulfill its international environmental protection responsibilities have been greatly enhanced， and China has increasingly come to the center of the global environmental governance stage. The concept of ecological civilization put forward by China has received positive response from around the world， and remarkable progress has been made in pursuing the green “Belt and Road” Initiative.

Ever since the UN Conference on Human Environment held in the 1970s， China as a responsible major developing country， has been participating in， contributing to and leading the global ecological environment cooperation and governance. Since the 18th National Congress of the CPC， China has proactively participated in and led a series of multilateral conferences， and negotiations on international conventions and international environmental legislation. China has joined a number of environmental governance mechanisms， conducted in-depth cooperation with environmental governance entities and played an increasingly important role. As a typical developing country， China continues to uphold and develop the principle of common but differentiated responsibilities to safeguard the interests of developing countries. By the end of 2020， China had carried out international cooperation and exchanges on the ecological environment with over 100? countries， and signed 150 documents on ecological environment protection cooperation with more than 60 countries， international and regional organizations. China has signed or signed to join 50-plus international conventions and protocols related to the ecological environment.

At present， China conducts environmental diplomacy mainly through the following channels： First， it participates in the coordination of major countries in global environmental governance， advances multilateral international environmental negotiations on climate change， such as the Paris Agreement， supports the UN and G20 among other multilateral mechanisms in leading international cooperation on ecological environment protection; and pushes for making ecological civilization into the theme of the 15th Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity. Second， it maintains close cooperation with relevant environmental agencies of the UN and the World Meteorological Organization; strengthens leadership over the participation of such international mechanisms as the Asia-Pacific Regional Forum of Environment Ministers， Asia-Pacific Forum on Sustainable Development， and ASEAN “10+3” Environmental Cooperation. Third， China proactively promotes South-South cooperation on climate change and provides assistance to other developing countries to the best of its ability through multilateral development banks among other mechanisms and such channels as the Climate Change South-South Cooperation Fund. Fourth， China pursues the green and low-carbon “Belt and Road” Initiative， and is committed to promoting cooperation in ecological environment and other aspects in the countries along the Belt and Road.

In the process of global environmental governance and negotiations， China has proactively participated in the formulation and implementation of international environmental laws. It contributed to the negotiation and institutional building related to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change and the Kyoto Protocol in 1992. In 2015， the Paris Agreement opened a new era of bottom-up climate change governance.? China has made significant contributions by proposing the connotations of the “common but differentiated responsibilities” principle and the plan for “a nations independent contribution”; and has made the 2015 Paris Climate Change Conference a success through bilateral and multilateral negotiations between China and the US， between China and the EU， among G20， and among the “Basic Four” （India， Brazil， China and South Africa）. At the opening ceremony of the 21st UN Climate Change Conference held in Paris in 2015， Chinese President Xi Jinping gave comprehensive and systematic introduction to the Chinese Concepts and the Chinese Plan for promoting global climate governance， announcing Chinas goals and actions and major initiatives to promote South-South cooperation in response to climate change. At the 2019 UN Secretary-Generals Climate Action Summit， Chinas proposal on “nature-based solutions” gained broad consensus among the participating countries， and urged countries around the world to attach importance to natural approaches， which in result integrated the “nature-based solutions” into the NDC of the Paris Agreement and the implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. Chinas proposals and practices in addressing climate change， improving biodiversity protection and increasing marine reserves manifest the significant contributions of Chinas environmental diplomacy to global environmental governance.

In multilateral institutions， China has always paid close attention to environmental issues. Environment， energy and sustainable development are keywords of the G20 Summit. As a major member of G20， China has repeatedly stressed that all countries in the world should cooperate， uphold the vision of a community with a shared future for mankind， work together to address climate and environmental challenges and safeguard the blue planet. At all the BRICS Leaders Meetings since 2015， China has actively promoted the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change and the Paris Agreement on the principle of common but differentiated responsibilities and the respective capabilities of the signing parties. China has urged developed countries to provide developing countries with financial， technological and capacity-building support to enhance the capacity of developing countries to mitigate and adapt to climate change.

In major-country relations， China has always regarded environmental diplomacy as a priority. During the Obama administration， climate change was a high ground for China-US cooperation， cementing the foundation for a new type of major-country relationship between the two countries. China and the United States have held several summits and issued joint statements on climate change， demonstrating that China and the United States， as the worlds top two economies， energy consumers and carbon emitters， are working together to lead the pragmatic development of global climate governance. On April 22， 2021， President Xi Jinping attended the Leaders Climate Summit， proposed to build a community of life for man and nature， and welcomed the return of the US to the multilateral climate governance to jointly advance global environmental governance. In the meantime， the issue of climate and environment has been at the focus of the China-EU strategic partnership; both China and the EU adhere to the concept of green development and are committed to the implementation of the Paris Agreement on climate change. In the wake of the Trump administrations withdrawal from the Paris Agreement， the Chinese and EU leaders demonstrated strong determination to jointly advance global environmental governance through the Joint Statement on Climate Change and Clean Energy， Joint Statement of Heads of State of China and France on Climate Change， and Beijing Call for China-France Biodiversity Conservation and Climate Change.

Cooperation with developing countries on climate change is an integral part of the Chinese governments foreign assistance and South-South cooperation， and an important part of Chinas international cooperation on climate change. China has made substantial efforts to help southern countries improve their ability to tackle climate change. In the new situation of facing increasingly prominent impacts of climate change， China as a responsible developing country， in the principle of doing its best within its ability， shares the achievements of green technological innovation and experience in green economic development with other developing countries， and supports them in strengthening their capacity building to cope with climate change. With ecological civilization and green development as the link， China has pragmatically promoted green development cooperation among countries along the Belt and Road， and enhanced Chinas green influence upon the global development. The Green “Belt and Road” represents Chinese wisdom and a Chinese solution to improve the global governance system.

Advancing Chinas Leadership in Global Environmental Cooperation in the New Era

China is the largest developing country and a country with a large ecosystem. With the command of international environmental rules， the accumulation of experience in the practice of environmental diplomacy and the participation in international multilateral environmental mechanisms， China has become a great force on the stage of global environmental diplomacy. Chinas environmental diplomacy strategy， based on the concept of “a community with a shared future for mankind” has basically taken shape， its diplomatic capacity is improving， and it is becoming mature in terms of diplomatic experience and wisdom. In 2017 President Xi Jinping delivered the speech titled “Work Together to Build a Communitiy of Shared Future for Mankind” at the UN Headquarters in Geneva， stressing that we should “make our world clean and beautiful by pursuing green and low-carbon development”.

In that context of great global change， the camp of developing countries led by emerging powers is an important force on the world environmental diplomacy stage. “The Group of 77+China” is the main mode of cooperation among developing countries， and the green Belt and Road construction will help consolidate the solidarity and cooperation among developing countries in advancing environmental diplomacy. At the same time， China is proactively cooperating with developed countries in the ecological environment protection. By taking into account relevant strategic objectives of developed countries， China endeavors to enhance the initiative of environmental diplomacy with addressing climate change at the core. China and the United States have a lot of consensus on global climate change governance， green economic and technical cooperation， reform of the global environment governance system and exploration of joint response to extreme climate events. The EUs foreign policy on environment highlights cooperation with developing countries in Africa， Latin America， the Mediterranean region and the Asia-Pacific region， and stresses climate change， the Green New Deal and the building of a zero-carbon society. The EU has common interests with China in helping developing countries formulate national development strategies， protect biodiversity， devise urban planning， and protect ecosystems. Both China and the EU adhere to the concept of green development， are committed to implementing the Paris Agreement on climate change， and endeavor to deepen cooperation by taking the opportunities of hosting international conferences on biodiversity， climate change， and nature conservation.

China should make best use of its environmental foreign policy to promote international cooperation. First， it should give full play to its role of the rotating presidency and prepare for the UN Convention on Biological Diversity Summit （COP15）， to promote cooperation in coordinated governance of “climate – epidemic – biodiversity” within the framework of the UN. Second， it is to improve the environmental diplomacy agenda at the 15th Convention on Biological Diversity Summit in Kunming. Third， in the face of the global trend of “carbon-neutral” and zero-carbon race and the fact that environmental technological cooperation has become a ballast for environmental diplomacy， China can work with relevant countries to strengthen cooperation regarding zero-carbon economy， environmental technologies， river basin water pollution prevention and control， hazardous waste disposal， chemicals management， strategic environmental impact assessment， and environmental accident warning and emergency response. Fourth， it is to strengthen unity and cooperation among developing countries and jointly defend the principle of “common but differentiated responsibilities”.

Conclusion

With the emergence of deep-seated contradictions between man and nature， and the increasing disagreements between countries， especially between developed and developing countries， global environmental governance faces unprecedented difficulties. In this context， President Xi Jinpings “Persistence in Six Aspects” proposition on harmonious coexistence between man and nature and systematic governance hold great significance to the era， providing a direction for leading the reform of the global environmental governance system.

The current environmental challenges facing mankind are systematic interrelated challenges concerning climate， health， energy， food and water， which result from the systematic destruction of the earths environment. As the reform of the global governance system interweaves with economic recovery， China has put carbon peak and carbon neutral in the overall layout of ecological civilization construction. Chinas environmental foreign policy and practice show that China readily undertakes the international responsibility for environmental governance， and environmental governance is not necessarily at the expense of development. As the largest developing country and a responsible major country， China helps other countries solve environmental and development problems with its own capital， technology and experience as well as the pursuit of a green “Belt and Road”， with a view of enhancing its say in global environmental governance and jointly promoting the building of global ecological civilization. President Xi Jinping pointed out， “Sustainable development is a golden key to solving global problems. It holds a similar goal and shares a similar philosophy with the building of a community with a shared future for mankind”. Global environmental cooperation needs to constantly highlight the pattern and background of harmonious coexistence between man and nature， and through adopting people-oriented green development and systematic governance， China will continue to provide the “China Plan” in global green recovery， and vigorously promote the building of a community of life for man and nature under the frameworks of the UN， major-country cooperation and multilateralism.

Yu Hongyuan is Director of the Institute for Comparative Politics and Public Policy， Shanghai Institute for International Studies