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Commentary
Wall Street Journal

China’s Flag Is Red, Not Green

The West has been too willing to believe Beijing’s claim that it cares about the environment.

Machines load and unload coal at Lianyungang Port in Lianyungang City, China, on May 24, 2023. (Costfoto/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
Caption
Machines load and unload coal at Lianyungang Port in Lianyungang City, China, on May 24, 2023. (Costfoto/NurPhoto via Getty Images)

Before environmental protection became a global issue, Chinese leader Deng Xiaoping taught that “only development is a solid truth.” Deng saw the degradation of the environment as a “necessary evil” in the drive for Chinese growth. As a result, China now leads the world in carbon-dioxide emissions, land and water pollution, and the depletion of natural resources.

China’s current leader, Xi Jinping, has pledged to build what he calls an “ecological civilization” in service of a net-zero future. This is a claim ripe for re-evaluation, especially with Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen on a visit to Beijing and Earth Day approaching. The Chinese Communist Party isn’t a serious steward of the global commons, and Western leaders must refute this dangerously misleading narrative.

Read the full article in the Wall Street Journal