Emissions trading and climate diplomacy between Europe and China

2016

Over the past decade, the EU has been following a “policy of

unconditional engagement” vis-à-vis the People’s Republic of

China, pursuing its promotion of effective multilateralism. In the

field of climate change, China has been an increasingly important

member of the UNFCCC process and a key target of European engagement

policies. Regardless of geographical distance, which

restricts European ability to influence, Europe has employed a

variety of instruments in its foreign environmental policy. Yet how

do Chinese decision-makers perceive these efforts?

The Paris COP21 Summit has been hailed as a major breakthrough

by Europeans and Chinese alike. Drawing on two sets

of interviews carried out in Beijing in 2012 and 2016 this brief

looks at the dynamics of climate policy adoption in China. Emissions

trading serves as a case study for domestic politics: the

seven pilot systems were also result of a turf battle between the

National Development and Reform Commission and the Ministry

of Finance. The EU and Norway could plug into domestic policy

making by providing large-scale capacity building. So, could this

be a success story for climate policy promotion?

NUPI Policy Brief;2016-32

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