Article source
Financial Times
Article date
Sun, Jun 11, 2017
China’s anger at the EU’s refusal to recognise it as a “market economy” is threatening efforts to present a united front on climate change after Donald Trump’s withdrawal from the Paris accord.
Beijing’s willingness to risk a hard-fought alliance on emissions reductions highlights how it is both pushing its own interests and struggling to get others to fall into line as Washington forfeits global leadership on issues such as global warming and trade.
At a China-EU summit in Brussels this month the Chinese side scuppered the release of an anticipated joint statement on climate after EU officials declined to back China’s push to be labelled a market economy within the World Trade Organisation.