US backsliding on Paris deal a gift for China

BEIJING: The US exit from the Paris climate pact is a gift to China’s ambitions to become world leader on everything from trade to global warming, despite its own mixed record.

Beijing appeared well aware of the opening that it was given as it vowed to uphold the deal to cut carbon emissions after US President Donald Trump’s withdrawal from the agreement.

“We also hear that our actions and leading role are applauded by the international community,” Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying told reporters on Friday.

The remarks came as Chinese Premier Li Keqiang met with EU leaders at a summit in Brussels where the two sides moved to fill the leadership void on fighting climate change.

China is the world’s top polluter but also its biggest investor in renewable energy and it has pledged to reduce its reliance on carbonbelching coal and clear the toxic smog from its cities.

The US retreat from the deal struck in 2015 has given China a chance to snatch the lead in the global battle against climate change and boost its clout at future negotiations, analysts said.

It could also spur Chinese investment in overseas renewable energy projects — and expand its political influence — as poorer countries increasingly look to their deeppocketed trade partner for help.

“This is gold for China. It really puts them in a powerful position,” said John Mikler, an associate professor in international relations at the University of Sydney.

“The paradox of the America First doctrine is it’s putting America last and China is taking the lead.”

Beijing’s emphatic support for the Paris deal comes as the world’s second-largest economy promotes itself as a champion of globalization, capitalizing on Trump’s inward-looking stance on trade and foreign policy.

But President Xi Jinping’s claims of welcoming foreign investment have been met with skepticism from European and American executives who say Beijing should practice what it preaches and lift unfair market access restrictions.

“It’s become quite clear that China sees the US withdrawal as a diplomatic opportunity. It has given China an opening to take a more positive role on the world stage,” said Lauri Myllyvirta, a coal and air pollution expert at Greenpeace.

It also fits with Beijing’s domestic political agenda of being seen to make efforts to clean up the environment and find new ways to spur economic activity into the future.

After years of breakneck growth, China’s economy is slowing as it transitions away from a debt-fueled investment-driven model to one more reliant on consumer spending.

China’s overseas investment in renewable energy deals exceeding $1 billion each soared 60 percent to $32 billion in 2016, according to the US-based Institute for Energy Economics and Financial Analysis, which expects the trend to continue.

California Gov. Jerry Brown is hoping to get on board despite Trump’s backsliding on the Paris agreement.

“We want to further strengthen our relationship with China,” Brown told the Los Angeles Times on Wednesday before flying to China to attend a clean energy ministerial meeting.