> it’s the result of western countries imposing strict environmental standards in their own countries while supporting exploitative manufacturing in China.

I'm not sure if you realize quite how much you're infantilizing China and acting as if it has no agency.

You're writing as if China's actions are of course the doing of the West...with the subtext being that China is somewhow not capable of making its own choices. That's...astonishingly racist. China -- and Chinese people -- have far more agency than you're suggesting.

Does that mean we should criticize them for using as much coal as the rest of the world put together? No, because it would be pointless to do so -- like every other major nation, China responds mostly to internal needs, not to harsh words from a rabble of outsiders.

So what do we do?

First, give up the racist delusion that the West is the world's puppetmasters.
Second, engage with nations like China to find parts of the problem where we agree and can work together for mutual benefit.
Third, keep installing clean tech as fast as possible, both to directly reduce our own emissions and to entice others to join by lowering their costs.

Interestingly, China's the one leading the world on point 3, not the West.