China: Developing Country or Superpower and What it Means for Energy and Climate

China’s dramatic economic growth this century has made it not only the second largest economy in the world, but also the biggest energy producer and consumer and the largest emitter of greenhouse gases. As reflected in the reactions to China’s recently announced pledge to achieve carbon neutrality by 2060, China’s impact on energy markets and on climate change is profound. Even as China is quickly evolving into a superpower alongside the United States, it still faces many challenges of a typical developing country, such as widespread energy poverty and a per capita income that classifies it as “middle-income.” Should we consider China a developing country or a superpower? What are the implications of China’s development status for energy use, global greenhouse gas emissions and prospects for climate action? The Center on Global Energy Policy will host a panel of international experts for a discussion on these issues. Panelists: — Sarah Ladislaw, Senior Vice President and Director and Senior Fellow of the Energy Security and Climate Change Program, Center for Strategic and International Studies — Ranjit Lamech, Regional Director — Infrastructure, East Asia and Pacific Region, World Bank — Shang-Jin Wei, NT Wang Professor of Chinese Business and Economy at Columbia Business School and former Chief Economist of the Asian Development Bank Moderator: — Philippe Benoit, Adjunct Senior Research Scholar and Lead of the Energy for Development Research Initiative, Center on Global Energy Policy at Columbia SIPA — This webinar will be hosted via Zoom. Advance registration is required. Upon registration, you will receive a confirmation email with access details. The event will be recorded and the video recording will be added to our website following the event. This event is open to press, and registration is required to attend. For media inquiries or requests for interviews, please contact Artealia Gilliard ([email protected]) or Genna Morton ([email protected]). For more information about the event, please contact Caitlin Norfleet or Nicolina DueMogensen ([email protected]).