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Opinion

Canada Is Falling for China’s Climate Promises the Same Way the West Fell for Beijing’s WTO Myths

China’s green agenda is a facade.
Canada Is Falling for China’s Climate Promises the Same Way the West Fell for Beijing’s WTO Myths
Chinese street vendors and customers gather at a local market outside a state-owned coal-fired power plant in Anhui Province, China, on June 14, 2017. Kevin Frayer/Getty Images
Scott McGregor
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Commentary

Ottawa is once again easing closer to Beijing, this time under the banner of climate policy. The suggestion is that Canada should welcome China’s pledges on carbon neutrality and treat them as an opportunity for common ground on net-zero emissions. On the surface, it looks pragmatic. In practice, it is naive. Canada risks mistaking performance for progress, applauding promises while ignoring the record of the world’s largest polluter, granting Beijing the leverage it seeks through climate diplomacy.

Scott McGregor
Scott McGregor
Author
Scott McGregor is a former Canadian Armed Forces intelligence operator and intelligence adviser to the RCMP. He is the co-author of “The Mosaic Effect: How the Chinese Communist Party Started a Hybrid War in America’s Backyard.”