China in Copenhagen
Reconciling the “Beijing Climate Revolution” and the “Copenhagen Climate Obstinacy”
The contradiction between the astonishing dynamic of China’s domestic climate policy agenda and its seemingly unwavering and tenacious position in international climate negotiations presents a puzzle that, on closer inspection, reveals much about a nation at the crossroads, undecided which way to turn. The alterations in China’s political interests connected to the issue of climate change are undeniable and clearly evident in the domestic policy changes China introduced during previous years. However, China’s leadership thus far has remained hesitant to fully translate this new set of interests into a coherent position in the international arena. China’s mounting difficulties to reconcile its rapidly changing role on the international stage with its altered domestic situation as well as its traditional foreign policy interests and principles undermines China’s ability to pursue a consistent and effective strategy in international climate negotiations. China’s hesitance to decisively redefine its role in the international arena leads to a number of inconsistencies that particularly plagued China’s position during the Copenhagen conference and ultimately left China, as everyone else, with empty hands. The Copenhagen negotiations demonstrated that China’s leadership will have to resolutely address these inconsistencies if it wants to realize the significant benefits that international climate cooperation offers for China.