Long in the making, a provisional agreement of the Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism, or CBAM, was recently announced by the European Union. Under the CBAM, imports into the EU of products from specific emissions-intensive sectors will face an import levy. The EU said CBAM will begin to operate from October 2023, initially with reporting obligations only, and then come into force in 2026. The bloc said CBAM is part of its strategy to reduce its carbon emissions to net zero by 2050.

Why are some of the EU’s trading partners accusing the bloc of protectionism? Are concerns from developing economies of being mistreated under CBAM valid? Host Liu Kun is joined by Yao Shujie, Chueng Kong Professor of Economics, Chongqing University; Helga Zepp-LaRouche, Founder of The Schiller Institute; Michael Grubb, Professor of Energy and Climate Change at University College London; Mike Bastin, China observer, and Senior Lecturer at the University of Southampton.