A Study Of China-U.S. Cooperation On Clean Energy: Impetus, Procedure, And Risks

Energy is the fundamental resource and driving force for the national economy and social development. As an important factor, energy has great influence on international relations. On the one hand, energy can lead to international conflicts. On the other hand, energy also can bring about international cooperations. Energy, resource and environment have become hot spot on international affairs, and it associate with national security and economic development. Now energy shortage and environmental problems are urent for the world, many countries have made great efforts to comple with this problem.Energy cooperation is one of the important foundations of China-U.S. bilateral cooperation. Based on the mutual interests of energy security, international enviormental public goods, economic concerns, technogical exchanges, complementary effects, and future development, China and U.S. have carried out several cooperations on clean energy, and made great progresses on clean energy about climate change, enviorment protection and energy efficiency for over thirty years. They have comfirmed the principle for bilateral cooperation, which includes mutural benefit, effective communication, equal negotiation, diversified development, complementary to each other and joint ensurence, and signed several agreements, memorandums and plans for the cooperation, and eatablished the rights and oblitations for cooperations. Now the governmental, corporate, official-nongovernmental, nongovernment and multilateral channels have shaped the pattern of China-U.S. clean energy cooperation.However, it cannot be denied that, the clean cooperation between China and U.S. is effcetd by Sino-U.S. relations. The Sino-U.S. relaitons not only have the relative stability, but also have contraditions and risks. The conflicts about clean trade continuous happened in recent years, and the obstacles of technology exchange have existed for a long time. What’s more, the mutural distrust and cognitive differences also have negative effect on this issue.Generally speaking, competition and cooperation are the normal status of China-U.S. clean energy relations. These two great powers have made great progresses on commercial developments, technogical innovations and clean energy trades. Thses cooperations can coping with the contradions and obstacles between the two countries, and pave the way for the future on sustainable development, enviormental protection and climate change. On the future, China and U.S. can promote the bilateral cooperation by expanding and deepening collaborate fields, consolidating the mechanisms, and making break through on some key fields.