Law360 Quotes Clete Willems on China and Paris Agreement
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For its article “Doubts Swirl Over US' Ability To Ratify Global Tax Deal,” Law360 quoted Akin Gump public law and policy partner Clete Willems on the U.S.’s accession to the Paris Agreement.
Willems, who served as Deputy Director of the National Economic Council in the Trump administration, said that President Obama had opposed the National Economic Council’s view that the U.S. should not sign the Paris Agreement because it would hurt the U.S. while helping China.
The article notes that Trump moved to withdraw Obama’s signature from the agreement.
Willems said, “The most fatal element to [the Paris Agreement] in terms of the views within [Trump's] White House was that China got a free pass, essentially, and we were harming our own competitiveness.”