ABSTRACT
This chapter investigates the ways in which China plans to fulfil it climate responsibility in practice. Because climate policy cannot be viewed as somehow unrelated to states' overall policies and goals, it also elaborates upon how the Chinese government's grand strategy to develop China as a strong, prosperous and modern socialist country shapes its domestic climate policies. The chapter examines the drivers of China's climate policy because such factors indicate the extent of the Chinese government's commitment to take action against climate change as well as to adapt to such change. It reviews China's international climate commitments under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change and the ways by which China has proposed to uphold those commitments by implementing, for instance, low-carbon development plans and energy policies. Although social pressure can be characterised as playing a coercive role in inter-state relations, international criticism of China's climate irresponsibility has not forced China's government to alter its attitude towards climate politics.
