China clarifies that it didn't invent climate change to trick the U.S.

Climate change has been a significant factor in the 2016 election. — (Image credit: iStock)

China clarified Wednesday that it definitely didn't invent the concept of climate change in order to trick the United States, a charge that has previously been leveled against the nation by President-elect Donald Trump:

China's vice foreign minister Liu Zhenmin explained at United Nations talks in Marrakesh, Morocco, that Ronald Reagan and George H.W. Bush had backed the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change in the 1980s, before China even knew of such negotiations to cut pollution, Bloomberg reports. Liu added that curbing emissions and using cleaner technologies and manufacturing techniques could actually boost U.S. production: "That's why I hope the Republican's administration will continue to support this process," he said.

While the groundbreaking Paris Agreement now faces an uncertain future in light of the coming Trump presidency, Liu said China would continue to combat climate change "whatever the circumstances."

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Jeva Lange was the executive editor at TheWeek.com. She formerly served as The Week's deputy editor and culture critic. She is also a contributor to Screen Slate, and her writing has appeared in The New York Daily News, The Awl, Vice, and Gothamist, among other publications. Jeva lives in New York City. Follow her on Twitter.