The impact of the European Union's green transition on China's green transition

This study examines the impact of the European Union's (EU) green transformation process on China's green development strategy within the framework of international climate governance. As two major global actors are responsible for a significant share of greenhouse gas emissions and shaping the global economy, the environmental policies of the EU and China hold critical importance not only at the national level but also for the future of the international system. The study first evaluates the influence of international climate agreements on the climate policies of the EU and China. It then offers a comparative analysis of the EU's instruments including the European Green Deal, the Fit for 55 package, and the Emissions Trading System (ETS), alongside China's Beautiful China Initiative, national carbon market, and the 1+N policy framework. The mutual dependencies between the EU and China in areas such as trade, strategic raw materials, and technological reliance are also analyzed. Drawing on the Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM) and the EU-China Comprehensive Agreement on Investment (CAI), the study explores how green policies evolve into economic instruments and geopolitical strategies. Ultimately, it assesses how the EU's climate policies influence China's environmental strategies and highlights the nature of their interaction in the global green transformation process.