Hong Kong (CNN) US President Donald Trump's move to rollback environmental protections leaves China poised to take the lead in the global fight against climate change. "China is increasingly taking its position on the world stage (as) an economic superpower in its own right." Speaking in New York last week , China's ambassador to the UN Liu Jeyi said "whatever the vicissitudes of the international situation... China remains steadfast in its ambition to reinforce actions in responding to climate change." "(China and the US) are moving in opposite directions on this issue," said Alex Lo, an expert on climate politics at the University of Hong Kong. But for nations most at risk from climate change, "you have to wonder how much of their country they're willing to see go underwater before they take action unilaterally to modify the climate."

Source: CNN March 29, 2017 07:18 UTC