China's foreign policy responses to climate change and Beijing's relations with the Global South

I hope to undertake doctoral research on global environmental politics and specifically on China's foreign policy responses to climate change and their implications for Beijing's relations with the Global South. My tentative research question is "How do China's 'green' discourses shape its diplomatic engagement with developing countries in Africa and Latin America". I am interested in examining two themes. The first is how Beijing uses discourses like "Greening the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI)" to legitimize its energy-backed investments overseas and secure allies from Global South countries. The second is how China uses discourses like being the "leader of developing countries" and a "responsible great power" to compete for climate leadership against the United States (US) and European countries during international climate conferences. The two questions are interrelated and lead to discussions about China's changing role and growing importance in global climate change governance. China is the largest emitter and has economic and political potentials to provide green resources to the least developed countries through its extensive BRI campaign. Nevertheless, current academic literature about China's environmental diplomacy remains scarce; most research in global environmental politics focuses on the European Union and the US. Understanding China's foreign policy approaches to climate change may help strengthen international emissions mitigation and adaptation campaigns.