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Green

In Chinese Communist Party discourse, “green” (绿色) functions both as a reference to environmental policies and as a rhetorical device signaling political alignment with Party priorities. In the domestic political context, the qualifier can serve as a standard of political evaluation broadly signaling sustainability in policy-making–without, however, measurable criteria, such as the “concept of green governance” (绿色执政理念). In foreign policy, the qualifier can function to support claims. One example is that sustainability is a core value of Xi Jinping’s signature Belt and Road Initiative, which has supported projects with questionable environmental impacts. Another is the argument that Western tariffs on Chinese renewable energy products constitute “green protectionism” that undermines genuine environmental protection.

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