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
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, while granting Beijing the leverage it seeks through climate diplomacy.
