Copenhagen Summit and Developments in Sino-US Carbon Diplomacy

　　Abstract: The adoption of Bali Road Map marked a momentous shift in global climate talks; At the same time, uncertainties between the great powers permeate the Copenhagen Summit as the process draws to a close. In the midst of these developments, China and the US have sought to coordinate via their “carbon diplomacy”, a process through which the US is deemed attempting to dominate the initiatives of the format of the climate talks. Even though the two countries appear to work in conjunction with each other, a Sino-US co-governance of the climate issues is nothing more than a mirage; China needs to be wary of being held ransom by the US in the process. Moreover, global climate talks cannot possibly be molded into the SinoUS cogovernance arrangement aforementioned. Instead, a multilateral arrangement, secured through cooperation between the great powers, provides greater hopes for the development of climate-related institutions.

　　Authors: YU Hongyuan, Associate Research Professor, Institute for Global Governance Studies, Shanghai Institutes for International Studies