China – U.S. relations and domestic politics on the road to Copenhagen 1: Making virtue of necessity

The document analyzes the constraints and opportunities facing the U.S. and China ahead of COP15. It argues that while the U.S. is limited by domestic legislative gridlock in the Senate, China is cautious about assuming an international leadership role despite increasing domestic climate ambition. The authors suggest that a bilateral U.S.-China understanding and the EU's role as a mediator could unlock progress, emphasizing that a pragmatic, incremental agreement is preferable to failure.

• China is increasing its domestic climate ambition, including pledges to cut carbon intensity between 2010 and 2020 by a "notable margin" and increasing the share of non-fossil fuel consumption to 15 per cent by 2020.
• Despite domestic progress, China's current political ambition—decoupling emissions from economic growth by a factor of 2—is insufficient to meet the 2°C target; a decoupling factor of 4 would be required.
• China's negotiation strategy is characterized by a desire to be seen as a "responsible player" while avoiding a leadership role and maintaining alignment with the G77 to protect the interests of the developing world.
• U.S. climate action is primarily constrained by domestic legislative processes, specifically the need for Senate approval for bills like the Waxman-Markey Act, and the influence of partisan polarization.
• The U.S. administration is exploring the use of EPA regulation of CO2 as a parallel track to Congressional legislation, as it does not require Congressional approval.
• A bilateral U.S.-China partnership is viewed as a critical key to success; specifically, a demonstration of Chinese commitment could soften resistance in the U.S. Senate, while U.S. legally binding targets and finance offers could encourage China to embrace more significant goals.

APA

Han, G., Hallding, K., Carson, M., Thai, H., & Nilsson, M. (2009). China – U.S. relations and domestic politics on the road to Copenhagen 1: Making virtue of necessity. Stockholm Environment Institute. https://www.sei.org/mediamanager/documents/Publications/Rethinking-development/china1 - making virtue wp 100329.pdf

Chicago

Han, Guoyi, Karl Hallding, Marcus Carson, Helen Thai, and Måns Nilsson. China – U.S. relations and domestic politics on the road to Copenhagen 1: Making virtue of necessity. Stockholm Environment Institute, 2009. https://www.sei.org/mediamanager/documents/Publications/Rethinking-development/china1 - making virtue wp 100329.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Han |first1=Guoyi |last2=Hallding |first2=Karl |last3=Carson |first3=Marcus |last4=Thai |first4=Helen |last5=Nilsson |first5=Måns |title=China – U.S. relations and domestic politics on the road to Copenhagen 1: Making virtue of necessity |publisher=Stockholm Environment Institute |date=2009 |url=https://www.sei.org/mediamanager/documents/Publications/Rethinking-development/china1 - making virtue wp 100329.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{han2009china, author = {Han, Guoyi and Hallding, Karl and Carson, Marcus and Thai, Helen and Nilsson, Måns}, title = {{China – U.S. relations and domestic politics on the road to Copenhagen 1: Making virtue of necessity}}, institution = {Stockholm Environment Institute}, year = {2009}, url = {https://www.sei.org/mediamanager/documents/Publications/Rethinking-development/china1 - making virtue wp 100329.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }