China's state news agency Xinhua described U.S. President Donald Trump's decision to withdraw from the Paris climate accord as a "global setback" and rejected Trump's claim that it would lead to many more jobs in America. In a commentary published on Friday, Xinhua suggested that no one country was now likely take up leadership of global efforts to fight climate change. China overtook the United States as the world's biggest emitter of greenhouse gases in 2007 but analysts see the U.S. withdrawal as an opportunity for China to burnish its image as a global leader.
"Trump's decision to ditch the Paris deal will leave a fairly big shoe for a single country to fill," Xinhua said, adding that major players such as China, the European Union and India had reiterated their willingness to step up efforts.
"Trump's decision to ditch the Paris deal will leave a fairly big shoe for a single country to fill," Xinhua said, adding that major players such as China, the European Union and India had reiterated their willingness to step up efforts.
