If incoming President Donald Trump reneges from U.S. commitments on climate funding and mitigation, it could yield influence and diplomatic clout to China, climate experts warned this week.
China could step in to fill some of the void left if the United States backed out of pledges, Sir Edward Davey, former U.K. secretary of state for energy and climate change told Devex.
“If the U.S. pulls back from funding developing countries on climate, I doubt the rest of the developed world would simply step in and take up the slack,” he said. Instead, Davey suggested China may observe “a diplomatic opportunity” and “step in at least partially,” he said.