Two House Democrats last week challenged the U.S. withdrawal from international climate negotiations during the Trump administration, arguing it has ceded influence to China.
The letter from members of the Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party comes after the Trump administration declined to send a delegation to this year’s COP30 climate negotiations in Brazil — the first time the U.S. has not formally participated in the talks’ three-decade history.
“This move undermines our national interests and opens the door for the People’s Republic of China (PRC) to dictate the international agenda on advanced energy manufacturing, energy cooperation, and environmental standards,” said Reps. Raja Krishnamoorthi of Illinois and Kathy Castor of Florida in the letter sent to Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Wednesday and shared with POLITICO’s E&E News.
“As the U.S. disengages, [China] is moving to present themselves as a replacement partner,” the Democrats wrote.
