Domestic Politics, National Interests, and Climate Commitments: A Comparative Study of China and the United States under the Paris Agreement

Abstract

This paper conducts a comparative analysis of the climate governance models of China and the United States under the Paris Agreement, investigating how domestic politics and national interests shape their international commitments and compliance behaviors. As the world's two largest emitters, the U.S. and China have embarked on divergent paths. The U.S. demonstrates a model of "contingent participation," characterized by policy instability driven by partisan polarization, presidential transitions, and the influence of interest groups. This volatility reveals the fragility of its international commitments, which are often transactional and subordinate to domestic political struggles. In contrast, China exhibits a model of "coherent implementation," where climate action is a consistent, top-down state strategy integrated into its long-term national development goals, ensuring policy continuity. This study critically examines the explanatory power of liberal institutionalism, arguing that the Sino-U.S. divergence exposes the "illusion of liberalism." It finds that international norms and institutions like the Paris Agreement are insufficient to override the primacy of domestic political structures and interests. The paper concludes that a nation's internal political landscape is the fundamental determinant of its climate policy, and the effectiveness of global governance hinges on aligning international goals with the endogenous motivations and strategic interests of major powers.