| Abstract [eng] |
The research paper EU and Chinese Solutions to Save the Planet: Internal Discourses, External Narratives and National Role Conceptions examines the coherence between the European Union and China in the environmental sphere, based on the dominant domestic environmental discourses of these actors, external stories to the world about the environment, and their national role perceptions in the international environmental system. The research problem has arisen in the light of the history of global climate change management over the last few years. The latter is marked by an ambitious step towards unity (the Paris Agreement), a disappointing déjà vu moment (in the face of deepened international cooperation, the US has retreated not for the first time) and a leadership vacuum that has accompanied recent events, although there has been and is much talk about the potential for EU-China cooperation on the environment. The paper is based on a constructivist approach, according to which similar identities of actors determine the level of cooperation. The defined discourses of EU ecological modernization and Chinese ecological civilization provide a significant context for research. The empirical analysisis is based on the most important speeches on environment or climate change by Ursula von der Leyen and Xi Jinping through the years of 2019-2021. Firstly, the narrative analysis is used in order to reconstruct the story on the environment that both leaders are conveying to the international audience. It is done so by capturing how actors, main events and lessons to be learned or solutions to the problem are presented by the speakers. Later on, the national role conception framework is used as a tool for the analysis of the national role conceptions of EU and China. The selected speeches were filtered invoking the elements of identity, cultural heritage, domestic audience, capabilities and opportunities to act. The study revealed that EU-China environmental coherence is limited according to the three components examined. Although EU and China were internally more or less coherent in the light of the internal discourses, external stories and national role conceptions, the mutual suitability was concluded to be lacking. It is concluded that the environmental “side goals” of EU and China together with the ideological differences may hinder or already prevent the potential EU-China joint leadership for the sake of saving the planet. From the perspective of the real world politics, it makes sense to examine what is being talked, how heads of state perceive the environment and their country’s roles in the international system, because environmental issues are universal and affect the entire planet. These issues are largely coordinated and addressed within the framework of the United Nations regime, where dozens and hundreds of states are negotiating future action. The negotiations focus primarily on the commonalities that arise from each party’s understanding of the problem, its scale, or its role in that context. In this light, it is particularly important to examine not only the material power resources of the major players in climate change, but also the ideological plane, which allows us to see a broader picture, especially in such a sensitive policy area as the environment. The research can be developed by looking into the geopolitical and economic factors that may influence the actors' internal discourses, external narratives and national role conceptions. Also, the internal dynamics of EU Member States on environmental issues could be taken into account. Moreover, this study could be further expanded to examine how the established national role conceptions of EU and China in the form of foreign policy or role performance are consistent and compatible. |
