The evolution and challenges in China’s implementation of the Convention on Biological Diversity: a new analytical framework

Due to its size and surging economic growth, China could play a major role in solving global environmental problems, especially through its implementation of multilateral environmental agreements (MEAs). The Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) is one of the most important MEAs in the world. China ratified then CBD in 1992 and has implemented the CBD with changing willingness and ability since 1993. Since China’s willingness and ability is changing, the traditional willingness–capacity framework could not accurately evaluate its implementation status. Therefore, how to evaluate the (dynamic) implementation of the CBD by countries like China which is in the process of rapid socioeconomic progress, became a new research question for scholarships. To this end, the article introduces a new analytical framework (with four factors) on implementation based on the traditional willingness–capacity framework, and employed both the historic analysis through examining historic development of China’s implementation and empirical study methods through empirical data and information. It finds that factors such as development philosophy and model, perception of national environmental interest, economic and technological level, and attitude toward global environmental governance have jointly determined China’s role in the implementation and its evolution of “follower–major participant–active contributor”. And those factors could also provide an insight into what are the challenges for China’s future implementation. The analytic framework used in this article may shed light on understanding China’s implementation of other MEAs, and on understanding other developing countries’ implementation of MEAs.