US-China Climate and Renewable Energy in the Trump 2.0 Era: Key Issues and Policy Implications

Citation

Kang TG, Park H, Hung M & Shim C (2025) US-China Climate and Renewable Energy in the Trump 2.0 Era: Key Issues and Policy Implications [트럼프 2.0 미·중 기후 및 재생에너지 쟁점과 시사점]. Korea Environment Institute. Korea Environment Institute. https://library.kei.re.kr/pyxis-api/1/digital-files/05edf243-9c28-4a47-8c5e-af30f0f758d3

Abstract
In the midst intensifying strategic competition between the United States and China, Donald Trump was inaugurated as the 47th President of the United States in January 2025. This political transition occurs amid a complex landscape of political, security, and economic challenges. Concurrently, global climate change and the transition to green energy are reaching a new stage of development. The spheres of climate policy and renewable energy have evolved beyond environmental considerations, now representing a pivotal intersection of economic and geopolitical rivalry. This transformation encompasses not only the political contest for global climate leadership but also competition over technological and industrial standards, along with control of resource supply chains. As a result, climate and energy issues have become central to the broader strategic competition shaping international relations. The escalating US-China rivalry, the advent of the second Trump administration, and evolving Korea-China relations have placed the Republic of Korea (ROK) in a markedly different geopolitical landscape. It is imperative to identify potential issues in global climate change response and renewable energy and to develop strategies that maximize ROK’s national interests. This paper aims to address the following. In anticipation of intensified US-China strategic competition under the second Trump administration, this paper analyzes the foreign policies of the US and China on global climate change and clean energy, including renewable energy, identifies key issues, and proposes policy recommendations for ROK.