Climate Special 5: Climate of Trust

Today, we continue our series on China-US Climate Cooperation with the first of a two-part episode on the history of climate deals between China and the US. And although these deals have previously weathered political storms, the question is, can they withstand the challenges of the future?

Transcript

Climate of Trust 

Today, we continue our series on China-US Climate Cooperation with the first of a two-part episode on the history of climate deals between China and the US. And although these deals have previously weathered political storms, the question is, can they withstand the challenges of the future?

As the world’s two largest economies and carbon emitters, cooperation between the US and China on climate change has been key to advancing global efforts to address the climate crisis. From the establishment of the China-US Forum on Environment and Development in 1997 to the milestone Sunnylands Statement on Enhancing Cooperation to Address the Climate Crisis in 2023, the two countries have reached several breakthrough agreements on addressing climate change over the past three decades.

Despite growing geopolitical tensions between the two nations, climate change remains a critical area where cooperation is still possible. Examining their history of convergence and divergence on climate issues – and how it has resonated with political shifts in both countries – offers valuable insights into the prospects of this relationship.

The Global Divide

When climate change first emerged as a global public policy issue in the late 1980s, China was in the early stages of its market-oriented reform and opening-up policy. With economic development as a top priority, climate change was largely considered a scientific issue, not yet incorporated into the country’s policy agenda.

Nonetheless, China participated in the 1992 Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro, which led to the creation of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (or UNFCCC). It was at this point that climate change first became a China-US issue, as parties to the UNFCCC where the ones who began negotiations to form the Kyoto Protocol, the world’s first legally binding international climate treaty.

Adopted in December 1997, the Kyoto Protocol divided participating nations into two groups: developed and developing countries. Under the principle of “common but differentiated responsibilities” adopted by the protocol, only developed countries were required to make greenhouse gas reduction commitments during the first commitment period, which was 2008-2012, while developing countries, including China, were exempt.

From the perspective of China and other developing countries, as developed nations had created the global climate change problem during their industrialization period while benefiting from it economically, they should bear historical responsibilities and therefore take greater action to reverse the damage. The developing countries also argued that since developed countries had not faced emissions-reduction commitments during their economic growth, it was unfair to impose such commitments on developing countries, which would disadvantage their economies and hinder their future growth. 

Under the administration of former President Bill Clinton, who took office in 1993 and positioned the US as a global environmental leader, the US signed the Kyoto Protocol in 1998. However, many in the US remained skeptical of the deal, arguing that the uneven allocation of responsibilities between developed and developing countries could raise energy prices and production costs in the US, putting it at a disadvantage.

When George W. Bush took office in 2001, his administration decided to withdraw from the agreement.

This developed-vs-developing divide has persisted through international negotiations, most recently during COP29, held in Baku, Azerbaijan in late 2024.

Bilateral Cooperation

Although China and the US fall into two separate camps in international climate negotiations, their differences appear to fade during bilateral talks, as the two nations share many common interests and concerns regarding climate change issues. Both China and the US face tremendous international pressure to commit to emissions reductions. Both are concerned about the potential economic impact of such commitments and are equally focused on improving energy efficiency and promoting the use of clean energy.

In fact, China-US cooperation on environmental issues began shortly after the establishment of formal diplomatic relations in 1979. Following the signing of the Agreement on Cooperation in Science and Technology by President Jimmy Carter and Chinese leader Deng Xiaoping that year, dozens of protocols – including several energy agreements – were signed under this umbrella. In February 1980, the two countries signed the Protocol for Scientific and Technical Cooperation in the Field of Environmental Protection, marking their first environmental bilateral treaty.

In March 1997, just months before the Kyoto Protocol agreement, US Vice President Al Gore and Chinese Premier Zhu Rongji established the Forum on Environment and Development, the first bilateral mechanism focused on climate change. That same year, China passed a landmark Energy Conservation Law, while the Forum facilitated the export of US clean energy technologies to China.

Even during the George W. Bush administration, when the US withdrew from the Kyoto Protocol and increased pressure on China to make emissions reduction commitments, bilateral cooperation continued. In 2004, the China-US Energy Policy Dialogue was established, allowing annual discussions on topics such as energy efficiency, carbon capture and sequestration, and oil and gas markets.

These cooperative mechanisms helped both nations expand clean energy deployment and reduce climate pollution. More importantly, they fostered mutual trust, enabling the two sides to redefine their roles in multilateral negotiations, coordinate actions and commitments, and work together to shape the global climate regime.

In the lead-up to the 2009 UN Climate Change Conference (COP15) in Copenhagen, the US pledged to cut emissions by 17 percent from 2005 levels by 2020. Just a day later, Chinese

Premier Wen Jiabao announced China’s plan to reduce carbon dioxide emissions per unit of GDP by 40-45 percent from 2005 levels by 2020.

During the conference, the two nations contributed to an international deal that included emissions reduction commitments from all major emitters, both developed and developing, including China and the US. Despite its non-binding nature, the Copenhagen Accord marked the first time the two countries participated in a common emissions reduction framework.

New Momentum

While China and the US continued to hold divergent views on emissions cuts and funding mechanisms in international negotiations in the following years, their cooperation on climate

change accelerated during this period, driven by political and economic shifts in both countries.

In the US, years of climate collaboration with China weakened the longstanding argument that developing countries were exploiting US emissions reductions. The fact that US emissions peaked in 2007 and subsequently entered a downward trajectory gave the government more confidence to commit to further reductions. These shifts created a favorable political climate for President Barack Obama, who took office in 2009, to pursue more proactive climate policies.

Meanwhile, perceptions of climate change in China were also transforming. Externally, China had become the world’s largest annual emitter of greenhouse gases by 2006, surpassing the US, and faced mounting international pressure to reduce emissions. Internally, decades of rapid economic growth had led to severe environmental challenges – such as air and water pollution – which had become major public concerns and were increasingly seen as threats to sustainable economic growth. As a result, environmental issues moved up the government’s policy agenda and were no longer subordinated to economic development.

These political shifts led to several major cooperative initiatives between the two countries. In June 2008, during the final months of the Bush administration, the US and China established the Ten-Year Framework for Cooperation on Energy and Environment. This program aimed to exchange best practices on climate change. After Obama assumed office,

the program was expanded to cover seven priority action areas: clean and secure electricity production, clean water, clean air, clean transportation, energy efficiency, nature reserves, and wetland conservation.

 This framework not only facilitated annual exchanges of information between government agencies, but also provided a platform for businesses, NGOs, research institutions and local officials to identify opportunities for joint projects.

In July 2009, the two countries signed the Memorandum of Understanding to Enhance Cooperation on Climate Change, Energy and the Environment, officially designating energy and climate change as a “pillar of the bilateral relationship.” A new bilateral climate dialogue was also launched, allowing climate policy leaders to exchange views outside the official UNFCCC negotiation process.

In November 2009, the China-US Clean Energy Research Center was established, bringing together enterprises and research institutions from both countries to advance clean energy technologies. Over the following years, more than 1,000 clean energy researchers participated in the program.

Meanwhile, China significantly strengthened its domestic climate policies. In October 2010, the State Council announced plans to promote seven strategic emerging industries, including alternative energy, new energy vehicles and environmental and energy-saving technologies. Additionally, China’s 12th Five-Year Plan (2011-2015) set national energy- and climate-related targets for the first time, including a 16 percent reduction in energy intensity and a 17 percent reduction in carbon intensity over the period.

Well, that’s the end of this week’s podcast on China-US Climate Cooperation. Our theme music is by the famous film score composer Roc Chen. We want to thank our writer Yu Xiaodong, translator Du Guodong, and copy editor Pu Ren. And thank you for listening. We hope you enjoyed it, and if you did, please tell a friend, so they too can understand The Context.