In the latest instalment of its Debate Paper series, the United States Studies Centre at the University of Sydney invited two climate policy experts to consider: Should the United States, Australia and like-minded allies cooperate or compete with China when it comes to fighting climate change?
US strategic competition with China has escalated into the realm of clean energy, with the Biden administration quadrupling US tariffs on Chinese electric vehicles this year. While the US-Australia alliance formalises bilateral cooperation on climate action, US allies like Australia must decide whether it is in their national interest to compete or collaborate with China.
“As China has become a world leader on clean energy, climate change has become an important area of strategic competition,” said USSC Director of Research Jared Mondschein. “These papers weigh up the big-picture benefits and detriments of this competition to climate change mitigation, while considering the position of Australia and other regional allies vis-à-vis China.”
Author Xuyang Dong, China energy policy analyst at Climate Energy Finance, makes the case for collaboration by arguing that because climate change is the defining challenge and common enemy of our age, nations should emphasise cooperation and more willingly deploy China’s cleantech exports.
Author Noah Gordon, acting co-director of the Sustainability, Climate and Geopolitics program at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, argues for the benefits of competition, looking at how competing with China galvanised unprecedented US action on climate change.
“The USSC aims to facilitate a robust debate that informs solutions to some of the most pressing policy challenges facing US allies in the region,” said Mondschein. “We look forward to facilitating further debate on topical issues like this.”
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