Sino-US Relations Starting Gate

The environment and climate change are two areas America and China can team up to address. Time is of the essence because if each Chinese was to consume the same amount of energy as each person in the U.S. does ─ the equivalent of 7.82 tons of oil ─ then China alone would consume nearly as much energy as the entire world does today. That is a very scary and dangerous scenario. To avoid it, China is forging ahead in developing renewable energy and is urging America to do the same. China is a signatory to the Kyoto Protocol and, like America, is spending billions on development of alternatives to oil. China is a world leader in harnessing renewable energy, particularly hydro, wind, solar and biomass power.

China gets eight percent of its energy and 17 percent of its electricity from renewable ─ shares that will rise to 15 percent and 21 percent respectively, by 2020, if the government’s targets are met. America can help China achieve that goal and do the same for itself. All it takes is political will power to work together.

China’s opening invitation to America and other rich countries to commit one percent of their economic worth to help poor nations fight global warming is a start. China is aggressive in pursuing renewable energy sources and will press for a new international mechanism to spread green technology worldwide.

China has pushed its emissions of greenhouse gases above those of the U.S. which had long been the world’s biggest emitter, according to many experts. Under the Kyoto Protocol, China and other Third World economies have no required goals to contain emissions. The U.S. refused to ratify the Kyoto pact, saying that the lack of caps on China and other big developing emitters make it ineffective. China and America should start working together to come up with a mutually acceptable framework that both countries can live with for the treaty that will replace Kyoto when it expires in 2012.

Working with China and giving it greater recognition would also send a strong signal that the U.S. is not opposed to China’s peaceful rise, prosperity and ability to invest in or buy U.S. energy companies the way it attempted to do in 2005, when China National Offshore Oil Corp tried to acquire Unocal, a U.S. oil and gas company for $18 billion, much more than it was eventually sold to Chevron for. America would also affirm its confidence in a policy of engagement and its distrust for protectionism. Chinese reformers would also benefit and gain a stronger hand that would be good for America, China and the world.