China’s pledge in September to pursue carbon neutrality by 2060 was followed by a similar pledge from Japan a month later. With these commitments being made at a time when the US has withdrawn from the Paris climate accord, it is easy to interpret them as part of the ongoing geopolitical competition for global leadership. But managing climate change is not a zero-sum game. Here, national competition to strengthen ambitions and policies benefits everyone.

U.S. President Donald Trump has suffered a decisive loss in his trade war with China. It is now in the interest of both countries to speedily resume trade and investment cooperation, cooperate to end the COVID-19 threat and implement the Paris climate accord.

Millions of people around the world are facing significant adversity. Governments must provide adequate financial and social protection, so that the poor and marginalized do not feel they must choose between protecting their health and providing for their families. And they must address the deeper social inequalities that the pandemic has exacerbated.

In his video address to the United Nations General Assembly in September, Chinese President Xi Jinping announced a slight improvement of China’s 2015 Paris climate agreement pledge: national carbon dioxide emissions should now peak before 2030 rather than around 2030.

As municipal budgets are squeezed by COVID-19, authorities need to get creative in order to stave off future weather events.

The world needs to come up with a strong, multilateral solution for combatting climate change, and China's backing in this effort is essential.

China and the EU have showed a promising start on green finance, in part due to China’s speed and enthusiasm to encourage green investments, but stricter environmental standards are needed.

The massive fires in the Amazon Rainforest have ignited concern and sparked debates about the main actors behind climate change. Now the question remains – are the primary countries responsible going to take the action necessary to save the planet?

The efforts of the Chinese government to increase the electrification of their auto industry have caused an impressive increase in China’s use of renewable energy. It’s time for the US to catch up.

Stephen Orlins talks about the challenges facing US-China relations and the career of a "small potato."