Don’t be fooled by China’s ‘carbon neutral’ pledge

A concert commemorating coronavirus victims is held in the Great Hall of the People in Beijing (Getty images)

China’s commitment to become ‘carbon neutral’ by 2060 has excited environmentalists but it should be seen as part of China’s strategy to become the world’s economic and military hegemon. Carbon neutrality by a date as remote as 2060 will not constrain the ambitions of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) in the slightest.

It is time to admit that the policy of economic engagement with China has failed. Optimists used to argue that embracing China in the world economy, especially by admitting it to WTO membership in 2001, would lead the Chinese people to demand democracy. The remarkable naivety of our leaders is captured in a speech given by President Clinton in 2000:

‘By joining the WTO, China is not simply agreeing to import more of our products; it is agreeing to import one of democracy’s most cherished values: economic freedom. The more China liberalises its economy, the more fully it will liberate the potential of its people… And when individuals have the power, not just to dream but to realise their dreams, they will demand a greater say.’

No serious commentator would say that now. On the contrary, a growing literature shows that the exact opposite has happened. Participation in the world economy has entrenched the power of the CCP and made its brand of authoritarian dictatorship appear more attractive to the unwary.

China joined the WTO as a non-market economy and membership was not only expected to lead to pressure for democracy, it was also anticipated that China would become a market economy within 15 years by 2016. It has done no such thing and it turns out that the rules of the WTO are ill suited to coping with a major economy acting in a spirit of undiluted mercantilism.

A study by Daron Acemoglu of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and others concluded that trade with China caused significant job losses in the USA between 1999 and 2011.

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