On the first day of his second term as President of the United States, Donald Trump signed a series of executive orders, including withdrawal from the Paris Agreement and the World Health Organization—declarations we saw both in 2017 and 2020. According to him, the Paris Agreement harms American industry and grants concessions to China, which is classified as a developing country. Additionally, the World Health Organization was criticized for its poor management of the COVID-19 pandemic and for imposing an undue economic burden on the United States.
Following Trump’s declaration of withdrawal from the Paris Agreement in 2017, China worked to establish its position as a global leader in the fight against climate change: It announced (2020) its goal of achieving carbon neutrality by 2060, pledged (2022) an additional billion dollars to the Global Development and South-South Cooperation Fund (GDSSCF), and promoted investments in renewable energy. Today, China is the world’s largest investor in the field, with investments totaling 676 billion dollars in 2023. In addition, China promoted the “Global Development Initiative” (GDI), which advances climate finance and green development on the international stage.
Furthermore, following Trump’s 2020 announcement of withdrawal from the World Health Organization (WHO) during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, China positioned itself as an important partner of the organization and engaged in what was called “vaccine diplomacy”: It ensured financial and logistical assistance and offered access to vaccines through platforms like COVAX. Additionally, China committed to contributing 50 million dollars to the WHO and providing 2 billion dollars for virus relief, especially in developing countries. China also promoted initiatives such as the Health Silk Road to strengthen its role in global public health. These actions helped improve its image, while its total funding provided to the organization remained low compared to that of the United States.
Thus, Trump’s withdrawal announcements during his previous term allowed China to establish itself as a leading and stable force in the areas of climate, renewable energy, and health, while developing and upgrading its related industries in alignment with the “Made in China 2025” plan. This trend is expected to continue in the current term. China will continue to leverage the vacuum created to strengthen its global standing, focusing on projects it can leverage to promote its interests.
On the first day of his second term as President of the United States, Donald Trump signed a series of executive orders, including withdrawal from the Paris Agreement and the World Health Organization—declarations we saw both in 2017 and 2020. According to him, the Paris Agreement harms American industry and grants concessions to China, which is classified as a developing country. Additionally, the World Health Organization was criticized for its poor management of the COVID-19 pandemic and for imposing an undue economic burden on the United States.
Following Trump’s declaration of withdrawal from the Paris Agreement in 2017, China worked to establish its position as a global leader in the fight against climate change: It announced (2020) its goal of achieving carbon neutrality by 2060, pledged (2022) an additional billion dollars to the Global Development and South-South Cooperation Fund (GDSSCF), and promoted investments in renewable energy. Today, China is the world’s largest investor in the field, with investments totaling 676 billion dollars in 2023. In addition, China promoted the “Global Development Initiative” (GDI), which advances climate finance and green development on the international stage.
Furthermore, following Trump’s 2020 announcement of withdrawal from the World Health Organization (WHO) during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, China positioned itself as an important partner of the organization and engaged in what was called “vaccine diplomacy”: It ensured financial and logistical assistance and offered access to vaccines through platforms like COVAX. Additionally, China committed to contributing 50 million dollars to the WHO and providing 2 billion dollars for virus relief, especially in developing countries. China also promoted initiatives such as the Health Silk Road to strengthen its role in global public health. These actions helped improve its image, while its total funding provided to the organization remained low compared to that of the United States.
Thus, Trump’s withdrawal announcements during his previous term allowed China to establish itself as a leading and stable force in the areas of climate, renewable energy, and health, while developing and upgrading its related industries in alignment with the “Made in China 2025” plan. This trend is expected to continue in the current term. China will continue to leverage the vacuum created to strengthen its global standing, focusing on projects it can leverage to promote its interests.