Young Africans are flocking to Confucius Institutes to learn Chinese and throw in their lot with the Asian superpower. The “Chinese Dream” is leaving the American Dream in tatters in much of the developing world. Many developing countries see partnerships with China as the route to their future success, especially in an era in which the United States has turned inward and is apparently a less generous and reliable partner. However, anti-Chinese sentiment is also intensifying. Chinese loans and investment are welcome, but recipients are also unsure about the environmental and social implications of partnering with such an untested player.

Smog, water pollution, deforestation and desertification—for decades, citizen activists and protestors have attempted to fight the environmental impacts of China’s development and industrialization. Now, confronted with climate change, the Communist Party of China (CCP) is well aware not only of citizen discontent, but also of the risks that climate change poses to the long term security, stability, and survivability of the regime. Rising seas will affect the great cities of Shanghai, Tianjin, and other areas along China’s coast. Glacier melt on the Tibetan Plateau will cause floods in the short term and in the long run fail to replenish the falling aquifers of the thirsty North China Plain. The prospect of high numbers of displaced Chinese citizens, internally displaced by global warming, is real.