The book explores the proactive and reactive features of China and India's domestic and foreign policies to address two intertwined challenges: first, China and India have taken policy measures that accord with their own domestic priorities; second, both countries have had to alter the trajectory of their proactive policy measures as a result of external pressures. The book argues that China and India's proactive and reactive policy measures to address energy insecurity and climate change have been shaped by their two-level pressures. At the domestic/unit level, both countries have had to sustain fast economic growth and eradicate poverty in order to maximize their economic wealth. At the international/systemic level, both countries have sought to enhance their great power status in the international system which is characterized by not only asymmetrical interdependence but also global governance in general, and global energy and climate governance in particular.

‘In Energy and Climate Policies in China and India, Fuzuo Wu argues that distinguishing between internal and external pressure, and between proactive and reactive policy, provides the key to an understanding of Chinese and Indian energy and climate policies. Both countries seek rapid economic development, requiring access to energy resources; and neither puts a high priority on contributing to the public good of limiting climate change. These are the proactive drivers of policy. On the other hand, as she shows with extensive evidence, their reactive policies respond to external pressures within the context of asymmetrical interdependence. Her two-level, proactive-reactive analytical framework provides an enlightening lens through which to view Chinese and Indian policy.'

Robert O. Keohane - Princeton University

‘China and India are both shaping a new world order. This book illuminates their energy and climate change policies and so help us to understand how.'

Ngaire Woods - University of Oxford

‘It's hard to see how the world gets serious about the global warming problem without China and India at the center of the solution. This thoughtful new book by Fuzuo Wu unpacks and explains how domestic politics are shaping how these countries behave at home and abroad. Increasingly, the shape of international cooperation on global problems reflects what these nations are willing and able to implement at home, along with how they respond to pressure from other governments. This book helps us think more systematically about those multilevel processes and thus the future of collective action.'

David Victor - University of California, San Diego

‘Wu’s book remains one of the most polished studies of China and India’s policies in energy security and climate change. It is highly recommended for those who are interested in the topic.’

Biao Zhang Source: Journal of Chinese Political Science