When President Joe Biden meets with world leaders at the COP26 climate summit this weekend in Glasgow, whatever policy proposals he may pledge, it is imperative that he do so with open eyes toward the world’s largest polluter, China.
The need for scrutiny of China’s actions is critical for three reasons. First, China is by far the world’s largest producer of carbon emissions, accounting for nearly twice as much carbon emissions as the next largest polluter, the United States. Second, President Xi Jinping’s Communist Party is demonstrably untrustworthy. Third, China is trying to leverage the issue of climate change in order to extract policy concessions in other areas. If Biden fails to put these concerns at the center of his COP26 dealings, China will exploit it.
