What's behind China's shift to environmental diplomacy?

China’s infrastructure investments across the Global South are well-documented. The Belt and Road Initiative – channeling trillions of dollars into infrastructure investments across more than 150 countries since 2013 – has become a prominent signifier of China’s global rise.

As a potential challenge to the Western-led world order, this huge global initiative has been met with alarm and apprehension, triggering rival ventures such as the Build Back Better initiative from US president Joe Biden and the EU Global Gateway.