Climate Cooperation or Challenge: European Media Perception of China in the Context of Climate Change

The relationship between the European Union and China is increasingly characterized by economic competition and political challenges, leading the EU to frame China as a “systemic rival” (European Commission, 2019). Nevertheless, climate cooperation between the EU and China has become all the more crucial. After the U.S. announced its withdrawal from the Paris Agreement in 2017, both parties saw the opportunity to step in and take a leading role in the international climate agenda. On the one hand, both countries recognize the need for cooperation concerning climate change. However, on the other hand, rising economic and political challenges complicate cooperation. Considering this puzzle, it is important to evaluate if Member States’ views on China in the area of climate change have become more negative and dominated by other challenges, or if China is still seen positively in this area. Therefore, the paper aims to answer the following question: How does European media frame China in the context of climate change? To this end, this paper conducts a media analysis by looking at newspaper articles from Germany, Italy, and Poland. The aim is to identify the prevailing framing of China, ranging from a necessary partner in climate change to an economic or political threat. Developing an understanding of these perceptions is critical to examine the prospects of EU-China climate cooperation, whether it will become entangled in escalating economic and political tensions or whether, despite the fraught atmosphere, meaningful cooperation and joint action on climate change can still exist between the two actors. By combining both fields, the findings of the paper will contribute to the study of EU-China relations on climate change, as well as European perceptions studies towards China.