LOS ANGELES — Alex Wang, a professor at the UCLA School of Law, discussed the themes of his recently published book, Chinese Global Environmentalism, during a talk on March 4, 2026, examining China’s growing influence in global clean energy and the tensions surrounding its environmental leadership.
The talk, which was divided into a lecture and a conversation with renowned environmental regulator Mary Nichols, explored the origins, criticisms and global implications of China’s evolving green development strategy.
It began with Wang contrasting the United States’ and China’s greatly different approaches to green development.
President Donald Trump withdrew the U.S. from the Paris Agreement in January 2026, stating that the agreement placed unfair economic burdens on the U.S., while China has remained an active proponent of the Paris Agreement and has continued to expand its investment in and reliance on renewable energy.
Wang attributes this difference to economic factors, as the U.S. still remains heavily tied to fossil fuel industries, while China has positioned itself as a major manufacturer and exporter of numerous clean energy technologies, including electric vehicles and solar energy.
However, Wang emphasized that China’s embrace of green development represents a relatively recent shift.
He applied the Environmental Kuznets Curve to China, a theory that explains the environmental crisis as a development problem.
Previously, China was focused solely on rapid industrial and economic growth despite the deadly consequences this had on the environment.
However, as the country has developed over the past 40 years, it is now able to invest more heavily in environmental protection and cleaner technologies, leading to the popular Chinese slogan, “Green is Gold.”
Furthermore, China’s success in reducing its reliance on coal power plants within the country and generating new sources of clean energy is increasingly seen as a model for other developing countries in the Global South.
This shift demonstrates how a traditional approach to development and dependence on the Global North is not always necessary.
However, to some critics, China’s environmental policies remain deeply problematic.
Yet Wang questions this “ad-hominem attack” that focuses on China’s political system, asking whether motivation is the most important factor to consider when judging the effectiveness of a country’s environmental policies.
That said, China’s approach to green development is far from perfect.
The country is frequently criticized for relying on authoritarian environmentalism, which takes a top-down approach that emphasizes the role of the state instead of the public.
According to Wang, this approach is “insufficiently democratic.”
There is further concern over inconsistent implementation of environmental policies overseas, particularly related to Chinese investment in projects that have resulted in coal financing, abandoned hydropower plants and solar panel facilities being accused of forced labor.
Wang explained how the Chinese government is able to send regulators to verify that local corporations and factories are following all environmental regulations.
However, he questions how to hold Chinese companies abroad accountable to the same strict guidelines.
He pointed to recent investment trends to support this, citing how 75% of Chinese overseas investments last year were in oil, natural gas and coal mining.
Thus, having explored both the strengths and hypocrisies within China’s green development strategy, the discussion shifted to a conversation with Nichols.
This conversation provided a more nuanced perspective, as it more deeply examined the tensions between the U.S. and China and discussed how and why the U.S. has chosen to cede the area of environmental protection, particularly regarding clean energy, to China.
Nichols highlighted how, though China’s growing influence in global environmental policy has become a point of political concern in the U.S., some government officials are entirely uninterested in learning from or working with the country.
She noted that some claim China is attempting to “undermine U.S. competitiveness, U.S. independence and U.S. prosperity.”
Wang attributed this perspective to powerful incumbents that financially benefit from the continued reliance on fossil fuels.
He said those interests feel threatened by companies expanding into clean energy.
The talk concluded with Wang emphasizing that relying solely on one country for green technology is not the best idea.
He added that collaboration between the U.S. and China has worked in the past, stating, “We need to get over the idea that we can’t also partner with Chinese companies.”
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