China's Environmental Foreign Relations

by Heidi Wang-Kaeding

Overview

Over recent decades, China has moved from being a follower towards taking on a leadership role in global environmental governance. This book discusses this important development. It examines the key role of Chinese interest groups, showing how through various domestic dynamics they have influenced how China has approached issues such as climate change and the environment. Focusing on examples of multilateral environmental treaties, bilateral cooperation, and the proposition of alternative norms – the idea of China as an "ecological civilisation" – the book provides crucial insights on the evolution of China’s approach to international relations and engagement with global environmental governance, and contributes to the discussion of what kind of power China is poised to become.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780367712327
Publisher:	Taylor & Francis
Publication date:	03/02/2021
Series:	China Policy Series
Pages:	134
Product dimensions:	6.12(w) x 9.19(h) x (d)

About the Author

Heidi Wang-Kaeding is Lecturer in International Relations in the School of Social, Political and Global Studies at Keele University

Table of Contents

List of illustrations vii

Preface viii

1 Interest groups in China's environmental foreign relations 1

The genesis of China's environmental foreign relations 2

Visibility of interests and invisibility of interest groups 4

Research puzzle 6

Methodological note 7

Argument in a nutshell 8

2 From ecological modernisation to environmental nationalism 14

Ecological modernisation 14

Eco-socialism 16

Chinese environmentalism? 18

Environmental nationalism 19

3 A tale of two treaties 27

Montreal Protocol and Convention on Biological Diversity 28

Unravelling implementation patterns 33

Enforcement: procedural versus substantive 33

Compliance: procedural versus substantive 38

Partnering enforcement with compliance 41

Analysis: unexpected interest groups and familiar rhetoric 44

4 Selective sharing in bilateral environmental cooperation 51

Bilateral environmental cooperation 52

Chinese experience 53

Public interest groups: important in an invisible way 55

Entering Laos 58

Seeking new partnership 61

Analysis: public interest groups in the story of Chinese overseas investment 63

5 The rise of ecological civilisation 71

Conceptualising ecological civilisation 72

Debating ecological civilisation 77

Registering domestic interests in the international discourse 84

Analysis: reshuffling power and rebranding image 88

6 Conclusion: a constructivist utilitarian power? 96

References 101

Index 122