The United States’stand and policy had a significant impact on building the
international climate mechanism. The USA’s attitude towards the climate change
issue reflected unilateral interests more. Although support for the Durban Roadmap
showed the open attitude of the USA towards joining the post-2020 global climate
mechanism, the USA explicitly opposed the decision, made at the Doha
Conference, on carrying out the Durban Platform negotiations under the guidance
of convention principles, and required recording. This suggests that denying his-
torical responsibility for carbon emissions and requiring large developing emitting
countries to assume emission reduction responsibilities is still the essential position
of the United States. In addition, the USA never gives up building small
“bottom-to-top”multilateral climate mechanisms outside the Convention.
Development of a low-carbon economy is a medium and long-term strategy
established by the EU. Boosting low-carbon transformation of the economy through
mandatory emission reduction, carbon emission trading and clean energy technol-
ogy is the main route for the EU in seeking international competitive advantages in
the future. The EU has strongly called for building“top-to-bottom”climate gov-
ernance mechanisms based on international laws which assign emission reduction
responsibilities for countries subject to explicit global temperature control targets.
In recent years, dragged down by the economic crisis, the EU has lacked a
policy-based driving force for increasing its medium-term target for emission
reduction and injecting funds into the Green Climate Fund. Meanwhile, structured
rights and the voice of developing countries have risen.^32 The EU needs support
from China and other BRICs and it also needs to exploit China’sinfluence over
neighboring countries and other countries from the Group of 77.
With economic growth, China has increasingly realized restrictions from
resource shortage and environmental deterioration on economic sustainable
development. Although China has not yet made commitments regarding emission
reduction targets, it has established many binding targets for low-carbon develop-
ment, and has taken the initiative in assuming responsibilities for addressing climate
change. China and the EU have similar appeals for building international climate
mechanisms to protect the ecological environment, to safeguard energy security, to
boost economic transformation and international image, etc. Although the EU has
gradually approached the United States’ stand on requiring large developing
emitting countries to make emission reduction commitments since the post-Tokyo
agenda, the EU has admitted the historical emission responsibilities of developed
countries and has held that safeguarding the principle of “Common and
Differentiated Responsibilities” under the Convention framework is the most
important foundation for China-EU cooperation in climate governance. Attaching
importance to China-EU interdependence, being based on BRICs and uniting
developing countries with similar stands under new negotiation patterns is China’s
strategic choice for addressing new challenges.
(^32) Lin and Ying ( 2013 ).
184 F. Cong