China in International Relations from a Constructivist Perspective

The purpose of the present chapter is to show the evolution in the approach China has adopted in recent years, and the solution it proposes in order to overcome the environmental crisis. This research will show how this evolution is tied to the overall theoretical concepts we have analyzed in Chapter 1.
The first paragraph of the chapter will in fact analyze the Chinese attitude to environmentalism in the international community. More specifically, it will be shown how China has gone from hostility, if not reluctance and nominal compliance with international efforts against pollution, to claiming the status of global leader in the fight against climate change, starting from the aftermath of the 2015 Paris Climate Change Conference. The cooperation with the EU over the issue is instrumental for Chinese claims, although we will see that the cooperation is hindered by some factors. The international community has significantly influenced China, or better yet, China has started to fight against environmental pollution in order to be recognized as an international leader, or at least as a member of the international community.
In the second paragraph we will further study the new Chinese approach to environmentalism conducted in the name of “Ecological Civilization”, Ecological Civilization is also the guideline of China at international conferences regarding the fight against climate change, in which China is showing its ambitions of leader country in the international system. In particular, we will see the impact of environmentalism over the Chinese state policy, as it leads to something that can be dubbed as “environmental totalitarianism”, that is to say, the blending of totalitarian practices with the pursue of environmentalism and a greener society.
In the third paragraph, we will see the impact of the BRI, as it effectively serves as a means for Chinese investors and policymakers to transfer Chinese pollution over to countries receiving Chinese investments. In the case of truly “green” investments, the solution adopted may be either controversial or contradictory, as in some cases they worsen the environmental equilibrium in some countries.
In the fourth paragraph we will observe how another important Chinese international investments program, that is to say, the Global Energy Interconnection initiative, was born with environmental concerns in mind, and it is the most ambitious solution China has put forward in the fight against pollution and the spread of renewable energies. However, the GEI is also heavy politicized, and its explicit ties to the Chinese rejuvenation concept and to the ambitions of Chinese President Xi Jinping cast doubts over the true aims of the program.
Overall, as we are about to see, the changes in the Chinese approach to environmentalism affect, and are affected, by the changes in its identity stemming from the emergence of the Chinese Dream and National Rejuvenation, which we saw proved to be closely tied ideologically with the Tianxia doctrine.

International Environmentalism
The most important efforts the international community has made in order to fight, or at least contain, climate change and pollution have been led under the framework of the United Nations.
The first UN conference organized in order to better discuss and coordinate an appropriate international response to the crisis was the 1972 Stockholm conference on Human Environment, which was attended by a Chinese delegation, among other participants. This participation was significant and symbolic, as countries of the Communist bloc deserted the conference because of Cold War mechanics, and developing countries judged pollution to be an issue only for the developed world. The importance of the conference was more symbolic than practical since, although it produced positive effects in Chinese politics such as the creation in 1973 of a national environment agency, environmental protection was not the priority of the Chinese government as much as economic growth. For instance, although by the end of 1997 national reserves covered 7% of the national territory, the officials in charge were expected to maximize income from the reserves, many of which existed only in theory.
Following the end of the Cold War, and twenty years after the Stockholm conference, the 1992 Rio de Janeiro UN Conference on Environment and Development, also known as the Earth Summit, saw a quasi-universal participation from countries around the globe, China not being an exception. The Rio declaration asserted various principles, such as common but differentiated responsibilities (principle 7) and the precautionary approach (principle 15), which have achieved international acceptance. Concurrently to the Rio Declaration, the Earth Summit also produced another document, Agenda 21, which has the purpose to set objectives for developing countries in order to achieve sustainable development, not in a binding manner.