The Paris Agreement and Global Climate Governance: China's Role and Contribution

The United Nations Climate Change Conference held in Paris in late 2015 is regarded as a milestone in the progress of global climate governance. Adopting the approach of "Intended Nationally Determined Contributions (INDCs) plus Periodic Review", the Paris Climate Agreement reached at the conference has rejuvenated the multilateral negotiation process and established a hybrid governance structure as the basic framework of the post-2020 climate regime. The Agreement also sends a clear and strong signal regarding the sustainable transformation of the world economy. Through low-carbon economic transformation and international climate diplomacy, China played a leadership role in achieving the Paris Agreement, which ushered in a new era for the international community to combat climate change. The future of global climate governance will depend on the follow-up measures of all contracting parties, and China should continue to show climate leadership in the post-Paris era.