New Opportunities in China-U.S. Green Cooperation

Editor's note: Zhao Xingshu is a research fellow at the Institute of American Studies, Chinese Academy of Social Sciences. The article reflects the author's opinions and not necessarily the views of CGTN. It has been translated from Chinese and edited for brevity and clarity.

China and the United States have jointly issued the "Sunnylands Statement on Enhancing Cooperation to Address the Climate Crisis", outlining new arrangements for future collaboration in climate between the two nations, and demonstrating their genuine shared interests in tackling climate change.

The joint statement for accelerating renewable energy development is rooted in the profound domestic context of both countries. 

China has prioritized renewable energy in recent years, making remarkable achievements with installed capacities of wind power and photovoltaic power ranking first in the world for many years. Boasting an industrial chain of the largest scale and powered by advanced technology, China has garnered clear competitive advantages in the global market. 

Similarly, through legislations such as the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act and Inflation Reduction Act, the U.S. has aimed to expedite investments in clean energy manufacturing and deployment with stable and effective policy support.

The strong political consensus expressed in the joint statement could inject substantial momentum into COP28, contributing to the global pursuit of ambitious new agreements. 

If the world makes progress in renewable energy policies, toward a threefold increase in the installed capacity of renewable energy, it is anticipated that countries will strengthen collaboration in areas such as coordinating specific policies, sharing best practices, and providing technical support. 

This will create conditions conducive to free trade and investment in renewable energy, comprehensively accelerating its global production and usage.

As for China-U.S. relations, despite heightened competition in various areas such as economy and trade, science and technology, as well as ideology, the statement indicates that both countries are making an effort to steer China-U.S. interactions toward responsible competition. 

The defined cooperation between the two countries is highly realistic, and they can still make progress in moving toward climate goals. 

However, the actual spill-over effects of this climate cooperation on the relations between the two countries have yet to be observed.