Transboundary fine dust pollution in China and Korea: How has international politics impeded environmental negotiations?

Abstract

Transboundary fine dust has been a leading cause of dispute between China and Korea since the mid-2010s. This study observes that transboundary fine dust is not purely an environmental issue, but rather mixed with political and diplomatic challenges. Despite the emerging bilateral and multilateral efforts to tackle this issue, this research sheds light on how political and diplomatic factors have undermined the outcomes of environmental negotiations between China and Korea. We highlight three dimensions of policy-based studies: scientific joint research on source-receptor relationships, interstate environmental negotiations, and multilateral environmental institutions in Northeast Asia. This study argues that transboundary fine dust cooperation has been extensively entangled with national political interests and proceeded via diplomatic channels, leading to the current absence of binding agreements and policy commitments. Therefore, a steady process of de-linking environmental cooperation and diplomatic fluctuations would be the best direction to proceed in a long-term perspective.