Transnational environmental governance: Chinese businesses as policy entrepreneurs in Cambodia under the Green Belt and Road Initiative

Globalization has complicated the relationship between economic activity and environmental governance. This article seeks to foreground this relationship by examining the actions taken by a Chinese environmental engineering firm in Cambodia under the Green Belt and Road Initiative. Based on in-depth...

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Main Authors: Qingge Geng, Kevin Lo
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Elsevier 2025-06-01
Series:Sustainable Futures
Subjects:
Online Access:http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2666188825001571
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author Qingge Geng
Kevin Lo
author_facet Qingge Geng
Kevin Lo
author_sort Qingge Geng
collection DOAJ
description Globalization has complicated the relationship between economic activity and environmental governance. This article seeks to foreground this relationship by examining the actions taken by a Chinese environmental engineering firm in Cambodia under the Green Belt and Road Initiative. Based on in-depth stakeholder interviews, we found that the firm adopted many policy entrepreneurship strategies—improving the government's environmental monitoring capacity, fostering partnerships and networks with local and international businesses, and disseminating credible information about environmental regulations. These policy entrepreneurship strategies are embedded in the logic of (for-profit) eco-entrepreneurship—to allow the company to achieve market penetration and overcome policy barriers. This study also draws attention to the contributions of private actors in realizing the vision of the Green Belt and Road Initiative.
format Article
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spelling doaj-art-4ab0ee18a3b8467ab0cc2dd25b4b99022025-08-20T03:20:16ZengElsevierSustainable Futures2666-18882025-06-01910058710.1016/j.sftr.2025.100587Transnational environmental governance: Chinese businesses as policy entrepreneurs in Cambodia under the Green Belt and Road InitiativeQingge Geng0Kevin Lo1Department of Geography, Hong Kong Baptist University, Hong Kong; David C. Lam Institute for East-West Studies, Hong Kong Baptist University, Hong KongDepartment of Geography, Hong Kong Baptist University, Hong Kong; David C. Lam Institute for East-West Studies, Hong Kong Baptist University, Hong Kong; Corresponding author at: Department of Geography, Hong Kong Baptist University, Hong Kong.Globalization has complicated the relationship between economic activity and environmental governance. This article seeks to foreground this relationship by examining the actions taken by a Chinese environmental engineering firm in Cambodia under the Green Belt and Road Initiative. Based on in-depth stakeholder interviews, we found that the firm adopted many policy entrepreneurship strategies—improving the government's environmental monitoring capacity, fostering partnerships and networks with local and international businesses, and disseminating credible information about environmental regulations. These policy entrepreneurship strategies are embedded in the logic of (for-profit) eco-entrepreneurship—to allow the company to achieve market penetration and overcome policy barriers. This study also draws attention to the contributions of private actors in realizing the vision of the Green Belt and Road Initiative.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2666188825001571Chinese transnational corporationsPolicy entrepreneurshipTransnational environmental governanceCambodiaGreen Belt and Road Initiative
spellingShingle Qingge Geng
Kevin Lo
Transnational environmental governance: Chinese businesses as policy entrepreneurs in Cambodia under the Green Belt and Road Initiative
Sustainable Futures
Chinese transnational corporations
Policy entrepreneurship
Transnational environmental governance
Cambodia
Green Belt and Road Initiative
title Transnational environmental governance: Chinese businesses as policy entrepreneurs in Cambodia under the Green Belt and Road Initiative
title_full Transnational environmental governance: Chinese businesses as policy entrepreneurs in Cambodia under the Green Belt and Road Initiative
title_fullStr Transnational environmental governance: Chinese businesses as policy entrepreneurs in Cambodia under the Green Belt and Road Initiative
title_full_unstemmed Transnational environmental governance: Chinese businesses as policy entrepreneurs in Cambodia under the Green Belt and Road Initiative
title_short Transnational environmental governance: Chinese businesses as policy entrepreneurs in Cambodia under the Green Belt and Road Initiative
title_sort transnational environmental governance chinese businesses as policy entrepreneurs in cambodia under the green belt and road initiative
topic Chinese transnational corporations
Policy entrepreneurship
Transnational environmental governance
Cambodia
Green Belt and Road Initiative
url http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2666188825001571
work_keys_str_mv AT qinggegeng transnationalenvironmentalgovernancechinesebusinessesaspolicyentrepreneursincambodiaunderthegreenbeltandroadinitiative
AT kevinlo transnationalenvironmentalgovernancechinesebusinessesaspolicyentrepreneursincambodiaunderthegreenbeltandroadinitiative