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    Kenneth T. Davis, PhD-Chairman of the Board of Regents, BIED Society
    BIED Society
    Dash  ·  
    Oct 22, 2020

    The People's Republic of China (PRC)

    in Center for Asia Pacific Policy

    The two largest players on the global stage are the United States and China. We want to hear from you and learn from your experience. Kindly join the conversation.



    51 comments
    51 Comments

    Share Your ThoughtsSign up to leave a comment.

    R
    Roy Rashke
    Nov 17, 2020
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    This document has furthered my interest in reading other countries climate change policies. Climate change has had a big impact in the Arctic which @Griffen Ballenger has shared several times throughout our discussions, and with China declaring itself an arctic state they should be taking climate change very seriously. The fact that China has roughly 45% of the electric cars and 99% of the electric buses is a great step help them lower their contribution to climate change. I think that as technology advances more and more industries will be going to electric power and manufacture after manufacture building electric vehicles rather then petroleum/gas reliant cars. With agreements in place, such as the Paris Agreement, the amount of climate change should in theory start to decrease and become more stabilized however unless there are some sort of sanctions or punishments given to those that do not fall in line then an international treaty is just a piece of paper and nothing is forcing countries hands to follow their word. Another worrying aspect to think about is how the world will view climate change when such an influential world power like the United States no longer is party to the Paris Agreement. Overall, this is a serious topic. I think as the world explores more of the arctic, the more traction and the greater attention climate change will receive.

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    Griffen Ballenger
    Nov 17, 2020
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    Replying to

    Climate change is a global threat and therefore falls under the umbrella of global governance. This is always a challenging arena: It's hard enough to get political groups within states to cooperate let alone to get states to cooperate with each other. Since international organizations like the UN only wield so much power, enforcement of emission restrictions will remain difficult. Nevertheless, consistent enforcement and implementation will be crucial to ultimately solving climate change.


    To your point about the Arctic @Roy Rashke, I agree that increased focus on the region would spur the right conversations, but there is already dramatic evidence of global warming impacts on Arctic and Antarctic sea ice and ice selves. Since the world hasn't jumped at evidence like that (along with increased wildfires and hurricanes) so far, I don't know what kind of impetus can come along to suddenly ignite the necessary action.

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    Nathan Danko
    Nov 16, 2020
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    I believe I have expressed my concerns over climate change in multiple posts on this platform. Climate change is real and needs to be a concern for all. This document is interesting to me as it focuses on the positives and negatives of China’s history with climate change and protecting mother nature. I was thankful to see that July 2020 had not followed suit and one-upped July 2019. Specific to China however, I am extremely thankful that they agreed to sign on the Paris Climate agreement. I am hopeful that other nations and world powers will do their part to follow the agreement and re-join where necessary. China has some interesting statistics when it comes to emissions and their progress in meeting their targets [1]. As the document reflects, China was the leading the world in emissions. I am hopeful that the actions China has agreed to and propose can narrow the margin. I certainly hope that China, as well as other world powers recognize the threat of climate change and work to correct the problem.

    [1]. Climate Action Tracker

    https://climateactiontracker.org/countries/china/pledges-and-targets/

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    J
    Jay Rosato
    Nov 16, 2020
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    Replying to

    I agree that while China has a long way to go, it is important that they are leading international efforts to oppose it. Though I wish this same commitment was upheld in their foreign investments. It would be great to see some kind of a Belt Road Investment Agreement, wherein all of China's foreign projects agree to further China's climate goals. And if China does not, this could be an area where the US could step up. The US and its western allies could offer countries the possibility for climate friendly development, and perhaps this could distinguish it from other foreign powers in the age of great power competition.

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    Justin Spusta
    Nov 16, 2020
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    China has a paradoxical nature with climate change. While it is the leading polluter and contributor to carbon emissions, it also leads in creating emission-reducing technologies and green energy projects. China has been a leading influence on international agreements regarding climate change although at times it does not meet the requirements of the climate accords it works with. Like the US, it is hard for China to meet these requirements, when it has one of largest economies, is one of the largest producers and exporters and has over 1 billion people. One thing the international community can agree on with China is that climate change should be a top priority for the world, especially for countries that are large contributors to carbon emissions. The US, which has had at times a strained relationship with its major economic partner, China, looks forward to working with China to create a better environment. https://www.economist.com/special-report/2018/03/15/china-is-rapidly-developing-its-clean-energy-technology

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    Jay Rosato
    Nov 16, 2020
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    Replying to

    I also think that especially moving forward with the Democratic administration in the United States, climate change will become a much larger part of Sino-American relations. Especially after years of strained relations, this could be an important source of cooperation. Somewhat similar to what counterterrorism used to be a source of cooperation between the US and Russia.

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    Michela Pusterla
    Nov 16, 2020
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    China and climate change are two different beings that when you think of one, you think of the other. We can see that climate change is real not only through the temperatures, but also through the pollution. For example, early on in the COVID pandemic we saw that from space the air above China was clearer because they were not producing as much product and putting these gasses and pollution into the air. I found it interesting that China is the leader in contributing to climate change, but also the leader in combatting it. I feel like you cannot do both without completely quitting one. If they are going to keep producing and releasing co2 into the environment, then what does it help if they are fighting it unless they completely change their ways of producing things to more sustainable ways. It is also interesting that to fight climate change the world needs China, while it makes sense it would also help if countries worked on their own environments as well as entering treaties to start taking a bigger step toward fighting climate change, this also mean making a deal with China.

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    Madeline Smith
    Nov 16, 2020
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    Replying to

    It will be interesting to follow the 14th Five Year Plan when it is released in February. Although I am skeptical that it will yield the type of change China would need to see to reach their 2060 goals, it could set them on the course for a more sustainable future. My worry is less their personal pollution, although obviously it affects more than just their population anyways, but like Jay mentioned, the pollution they are causing in developing nations that will likely not be accounted for and therefore left to burden the poorer countries.

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    Jay Rosato
    Nov 16, 2020
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    Replying to

    I agree with @Madeline Smith that their funding of climate destructive projects in developing countries is especially worrying. Especially as these nations' populations and energy needs explode, it would be ideal for this growth to be met with new, cleaner, renewable energies as opposed to coal and oil. Pretty soon, Africa may rival China and the US in terms of energy consumption, and it would be ideal that they do not meet us in climate emissions as well.

    Perhaps building on @Michela Pusterla's point, the international community should pressure China to only support clean energy programs, and factor this into their goals as well.

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    Jay Rosato
    Nov 16, 2020
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    China's impact on global climate change is very polarized. On the one hand, it is the leading producer of CO2 and has increased its reliance on coal, but on the other, it is leading the world in producing renewable energy and transitioning to electric vehicles. Which represents the immense amount of energy the country needs to operate.


    I think it is also important to note that while China is the largest producer of CO2 in the world, it is not the largest producer of CO2 per capita in the world. Based on data from 2018, China is the thirteenth largest producer of CO2 per capita, ranking well below other nations, such as the U.S., Saudi Arabia, Australia, and Canada. That said, however, the rate at which China is building coal power plants and the rate they are building them in other countries, such as those in Southern Africa, is worrying, and it is for this reason I see their 2060 goal as being somewhat unrealistic.


    I suppose my biggest question is whether or not a Biden administration will make climate change a bigger aspect of trade with China. In the first presidential debate, President-Elect Joe Biden said that he would consider pressuring Brazil to stop its damaging activities in the Amazon rainforest. Climate could be a source of contention between the US and China, and in future trade disputes, a Biden administration could make this a bigger part of the deal. But it could also be a source of cooperation between the two, and potentially serve as a bridge to repair some relations. The next four years may indeed be a pivotal period in establishing how China's energy policy will look long term.


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    Madeline Smith
    Nov 16, 2020
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    Replying to

    Biden’s approach to China is a very anxiously awaited policy. I am curious if the president-elect is being forced to remain silent on the matter for the time being due to his lack of allowance within the current administration to any transition documents or official briefings. I assume policy on such a contentious issue would need to be as informed as possible before it is mentioned publically.

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    Madeline Smith
    Nov 16, 2020
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    China's relation to climate change is a very important one that has ramifications for the rest of the world's wellbeing. In 2018 China was the biggest CO2 emitter, releasing 10.06GT, but also is a leading innovator when it comes to sustainable technology and alternative power sources. It has been clear through the last four years that with the new US-China trade war, the US has all but forgotten about any allegiances to protect the environment, for example opening up historically protected lands for oil drilling.

    It is obvious that if the global community wants to create a significant impact on the speed that climate change is developing at, there is no hope without China. China's plan to be completely carbon neutral by 2060 is a very high goal and has gained worldwide skepticism in regards to its practicality. Many proposals call for the strategy of beginning to generate clean zero-emission power before moving into the implementation of this energy anywhere possible. The next step would then be to find ways to collect the pollution that is created when CO2 is released and ultimately storing it underground. Another proposal calls for nuclear energy production, increasing it to 28% on top of 21% wind, 17% solar, 14% hydropower, and 8% biomass. A large problem with this plan is the cost of shifting Chinese production off of fossil fuels. Coal-fired power alone accounts for more than 60% of all electricity in the country.


    Another ongoing barrier to China's 2060 goal is the construction of the Belt and Road Initiative. A study published in November of 2019 said that it was likely that the construction of these initiatives would disrupt the ecosystems of up to 800 different species. Chinese dams for hydropower along Cambodia, Lao PDR, Myanmar, Thailand, and Vietnam are already disrupting river flow changes and fish migration (which in turn affects the communities on the coast). This is just one example of the disruption this project will introduce into the region.

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    Jay Rosato
    Nov 16, 2020
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    Replying to

    China's involvement in Africa has not been consistent with its stated goals to reduce the effects of climate change around the world. According to data from the IEA, much of China's energy investment in Africa was devoted to building either hydro-electric, gas-fired, or coal-fired power plants. The Majority of investment in Eastern and Central Africa was hydro-powered, which does reduce emissions, but as you note it also creates problems for local ecosystems, and as the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam demonstrates, it can potentially create tension between downstream and upstream nations if not planned well. The majority of investment in Western Africa was gas-fired and the majority in Southern Africa was coal-fired. Other renewable energy made up only a fraction of investment in the region, and perhaps signals a disconnect between China's stated goals to reduce energy emissions and the actual impact their projects, such as the Belt Road initiative have on the world.

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    Madeline Smith
    Nov 16, 2020
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    Replying to

    This is a significant concern for those studying climate change around the world. Obviously climate change is not an issue that it made a priority by one country can be solved completely. The climate effects everyone and China’s commitment to carbon neutrality within their own boarders shows a lack of concern for the problem as a whole and displays more a wish to be seen as a leader in global problem solving.

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    Roy Rashke
    Nov 05, 2020
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    It was very interesting learning about the NPC and China. The equivalent would be the United States Congress, both the Senate and the House of Representatives in the United States. Each State representative is elected from areas within the state and is elected for a term. The differences I have chosen to highlight are the following. In China, that term is 5 years however it depends on what level of Congress you belong to in the US. Senators hold positions for 6 years and House Representatives hold positions for 2 years. In China, there are 2,980 Deputies while in the United States there are 535 members. The NPC meets in session once a year while the US Senate meets twice a year. A session of the NPC may be convened at any time the Standing Committee deems it necessary or when more than one-fifth of the deputies to the NPC propose it and the same way in the United States, The congress can be called into session for special reasons. In China, only the NPC has the power to amend the Constitution, whereas in the US the Congress starts the process and the individual states finish it. Overall, Similarities and differences can be drawn between the United States and China for any process. The biggest difference I would point out is the US is the picture Child of the free world, so it is at the forefront of the world’s media. China’s elections are not publicized nearly to the same extent as the US’s are. It is for those reasons why I think the broad sense of the population in the world knows who the US president is and not other countries such as China.

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    Jay Rosato
    Nov 05, 2020
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    Replying to

    @Roy Rashke it is interesting to compare these two bodies. There are definitely some similarities between the US Congress and the NPC. Though perhaps there exists more differences between the two. While in the statute of the law, each respective body is probably the most powerful, the NPC has virtually no practical power. The US also elects, their president, who then appoints appoints executive officials, while China operates under a more parliamentary system, where the legislative body appoints the executive officials.


    Part of the reason I think that their elections get no coverage is that it is widely agreed they don't matter. It is largely the same reason elections in Russia or Turkmenistan don't get much coverage. The outcome will almost always be the same, and unless it creates controversy within the country, as recent fraudulent elections in Belarus did.

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    Nathan Danko
    Nov 05, 2020
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    I always found it interesting that there is little US coverage of the Chinese elections or rather any foreign elections. This is juxtaposed to the US presidential elections being front page news in other countries. I would have appreciated this article including some upcoming reports to be voted on. The reports on the plan for national economic and social development and its implementation would be an interesting read from a national security perspective. The topic areas such as the establishment of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region interests me. I did not know that was a decision decided by the NPC. Prior to this article I was unaware of how much power the NPC had in China’s political sphere. I am curious to see how future elections change members of office and state operations.

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