Climate Change Policies of the Trump Administration and China’s Response

Abstract

Trump’s domestic and foreign climate change policies have basically taken shape. He is using a wide array of presidential executive powers to gradually and systematically weaken or roll back Obama-era domestic and foreign policies on climate change. Trump’s disregard of climate change is reflected in his announcement of withdrawing the U.S. from the Paris Agreement. The Trump administration’s position on climate change is influenced by the U.S. domestic political factors and Trump’s personal political views, rather than the claimed burdens imposed by the Paris Agreement on the United States. This blatant indifference on the part of the U.S. has significant implications for China and China-U.S. relations. After the U.S. withdrawal from the Paris Agreement, China faces mounting pressure from the international community to assume a leadership position on climate change. In response to Trump’s stance on climate change, China should raise its nationally determined contribution (NDC) targets, rebuild the collective leadership system in global climate action by replacing the Group of Two (G2) with the Climate 5 (C5), and urge the United States to maintain its engagement in global climate action.