Closer cooperation can help address eco-crisis

With the China-EU Summit wrapping up with a joint climate statement, green cooperation now stands out as a key area where both sides are willing to move from dialogue to action.

The conditions for deeper cooperation between China and countries still committed to multilateralism and international norms are favorable. This is particularly true for the Paris Agreement, and the fight against climate change. China and the European Union member states not only remain committed to achieving their respective green energy and carbon neutrality targets, but also have been reiterating their shared view on implementing the Paris Agreement. A key test of their effectiveness will be how they turn their long-term climate goals into action.

Another relevant test could be how the two sides resolve their trade disputes. At a time when the European Commission is shifting from “strategic autonomy” to “European preference”, numerous issues are at stake — from the drone industry to fast fashion platforms. This makes cooperation in green industries of prime importance.

A fast, easy and cost-effective transformation of the EU member economies to reach net-zero emissions by 2050 could depend on more open access, with fewer conditions, to Chinese products and services, particularly electric vehicles (EVs) and solar photovoltaic panels. For example, Chinese automakers could significantly facilitate the EU’s green transition by offering affordable, high-performance and innovative EVs to the EU. The latest generation of Chinese-made EVs, equipped with year-long batteries, could be a game-changer in this regard.

However, as the EU focuses on controlling its logistics and industrial suppliers, it remains highly cautious about any form of dependency and wary of the pricing power of Chinese industries in many green tech sectors, from EVs and batteries to solar panels. The era of “na?ve globalization” is over. But that does not imply a return to protectionism. Instead, it marks the end of the motto “the lowest price is always the best price”, and the idea that “only price matters”. Sustainability and autonomy, too, matter now.

Disputes are common in international trade, but it would be beneficial to overcome them to jointly address critical challenges, including cooperation on nuclear power development. To set up an ambitious agenda, China and the EU should jointly tackle three key issues:

First, they should tackle the issue of “death of the soil and seas”. Beyond climate change, the poisoning of the soil, freshwater sources and oceans, and the resulting biodiversity loss, may become the main environmental threat of the next decade, when up to one-third of the soil in Europe and China could lose its biological activity and capacity to grow crops. The rampant use of chemicals including pesticides, spread of plastic waste, and deep plowing practices have already significantly degraded soil vitality, by killing bacteria, fungi, worms and insects — millions per cubic meter — which are not just lifeforms, but the conditions for life itself.

The soil in both China and Europe has lost much of its fertility due to a decline in microorganisms, posing a grave threat to food production. If food autonomy is a core component of global strategic security, we must urgently address the issue of the “lifeless soil”, using research, traditional knowledge and local expertise.

Second, there is a need to create new economic and environmental indicators beyond GDP to include environmental, social and governance (ESG) ratings. The way we design statistics shapes reality and influence decisions and priorities. For example, climate concerns are often used to promote globalized solutions like “green finance” or “carbon compensation schemes”, which may not be suitable everywhere. Fighting climate change in Yunnan province requires different tools than in Brittany. And destroying rainforests in Africa cannot be offset by planting pine trees in the Northern Hemisphere.

Most current economic and environmental indicators originate in the Anglosphere, overemphasizing financial output while ignoring common goods, social diversity and nature’s free offerings, including life itself. Under the Global Development Initiative and the Global Civilization Initiative, a new approach is urgently needed, one that respects local and national diversity, accounts for non-financial values, and prioritizes the commons.

And third, the focus should also be on property rights. There are significant differences in the approaches to intellectual property. US laws favor merchants and developers, European laws prioritize creators and inventors, while Chinese laws emphasize the common good and broad diffusion of innovation. In an era where the competition between open-source AI (like DeepSeek) and proprietary AI (like ChatGPT) may shape the future, it is essential to develop property rights frameworks that protect biodiversity — including the vast variety of seeds, fruits, vegetables and animal breeds — and prevent monopolies from privatizing nature for profit.

An economy that privatizes everything, from seeds to the human genome, creates toll booths that stifle innovation and harm the public interest. Diversity is an intrinsic asset. The extinction of local plant and animal varieties is not only a loss for communities; it’s a loss for humankind. It is essential to prevent monopolistic control over food, agriculture, and human reproduction, and to maintain free access to lifeforms adapted to local conditions.

These three issues could lie at the heart of future EU-China climate cooperation, consistent with the priorities identified in their joint statement on climate change. The conditions for success are well known: an end to lecturing and arrogance from the Western side, with fewer preconditions and more realism; a shift away from US-centered strategies and a commitment to win-win relations with European companies from the Chinese side.

Both sides must acknowledge their mistakes, and embrace the truth that the quality of life for both Chinese and European citizens increasingly depends on a shared, green and beautiful environment.

The author is president of Les Localistes. The views don’t necessarily reflect those of China Daily.

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