The role of cross-nationally competent Chinese+ Americans in environmental-interdependence challenges: Potential and prospects

This chapter is launched with the premise that fundamental aspects of U.S.- China relations today are shaped largely by the actions or inactions of crossnationally competent civil-society actors. The first section outlines critical dimensions of cross-national competence and inquires into the extent of its presence within the Chinese American community. The next section presents a framework for identifying civil-society access points in transnational relations that can be applied to contemporary networks and interfaces between the China Mainland and the United States. The end goal of analysis, which is developed in the final sections, is to offer an informed estimate of the likely participation of cross-nationally competent Chinese Americans in addressing twin interdependence challenges of escalating urgencyenvironmental protection and natural-resource depletion-across the range of available influence arenas.