At the recent COP27 gathering, China once again argued why it must be held to a different standard from other global powers. A different standard, that is, all while being the world’s worst pollutant. Time and time again, China shows why it cannot be trusted to act in good faith on the environment.

A damning example comes from China’s management of its Belt and Road Initiative (BRI). This sees Beijing invest in emerging and frontier markets ostensibly to build out infrastructure. In reality, Beijing also conveniently uses this investment to facilitate its debt-trap diplomacy.