Students of Hubei University of Chinese Medicine hang clothes and quilts on the dormitory balcony on November 24, 2016 in Wuhan, Hubei Province of China. Students of Hubei University of Chinese Medicine air quilts to stay warm in winter. (Photo by VCG/VCG via Getty Images)





A Chinese labourer stands near a furnace as he works at an unauthorized steel factory on November 3, 2016 in Inner Mongolia, China. To meet China's targets to slash emissions of carbon dioxide, authorities are pushing to shut down privately owned steel, coal, and other high-polluting factories scattered across rural areas. In many cases, factory owners say they pay informal 'fines' to local inspectors and then re-open. The enforcement comes as the future of U.S. support for the 2015 Paris Agreement is in question, leaving China poised as an unlikely leader in the international effort against climate change. U.S. president-elect Donald Trump has sent mixed signals about whether he will withdraw the U.S. from commitments to curb greenhouse gases that, according to scientists, are causing the earth's temperature to rise. Trump once declared that the concept of global warming was “created” by China in order to hurt U.S. manufacturing. China's leadership has stated that any change in U.S. climate policy will not affect its commitment to implement the climate action plan. While the world's biggest polluter, China is also a global leader in establishing renewable energy sources such as wind and solar power. (Photo by Kevin Frayer/Getty Images)





A woman takes a selfie next to a replica of the HSBC lion painted in rainbow colours and displayed outside the bank's headquarters in Hong Kong, China, 06 December 2016. Several groups of activist including The Family School SODO Concern Group, Parents for the Family Association, Overturning LGBT Agenda and Next Generation Orientation have launched a joint online signature campaign expressing disapproval at the display. The groups claimed the rainbow lions have offended both HSBC customers and shareholders. The bank kicked off the “Celebrate Pride, Celebrate Unity” campaign in November by displaying replicas of the bank's iconic lions in rainbow colours, created by a local LGBT artist, in front of its Hong Kong headquarters. (Photo by Jerome Favre/EPA)





A cleaner travels in a boat after a snowfall at Beihai Park in central Beijing, China, November 21, 2016. (Photo by Jason Lee/Reuters)





Deliverymen wait at a “Call a Chick” store in Shanghai, China, November 21, 2016. (Photo by Reuters/Stringer)





A student from “the cliff village” in Atule'er climbs newly-constructed steel ladders after school to go home for holidays, in Liangshan Sichuan province, China, November 19, 2016. The steel ladders which replaced the unsafe vine ladders shortened the time taken for the children to go home, from three hours to two. (Photo by Reuters/Stringer)





Students from “the cliff village” in Atule'er climb newly-constructed steel ladders after school to go home for holidays, in Liangshan, Sichuan province, China, November 19, 2016. (Photo by Reuters/Stringer)





Students from “the cliff village” in Atule'er line up before climbing newly-constructed steel ladders after school to go home for holidays, in Liangshan Sichuan province, China, November 19, 2016. (Photo by Reuters/Stringer)





Students from “the cliff village” in Atule'er climb newly-constructed steel ladders after school to go home for holidays, in Liangshan, Sichuan province, China, November 19, 2016. (Photo by Reuters/Stringer)





Students from “the cliff village” in Atule'er take a rest as they climb newly-constructed steel ladders after school to go home for holidays, in Liangshan Sichuan province, China, November 19, 2016. (Photo by Reuters/Stringer)





A man cleans snow from a truck used to play films at a temple fair, in Yongji, Shanxi Province, China, November 22, 2016. (Photo by Reuters/China Daily)





People wear special jackets made for riders to keep out the wind during a cold day in Lianyungang, Jiangsu province, November 23, 2016. (Photo by Reuters/Stringer)





A man swims in Yangtze River among water spray, on a cold weather day in Wuhan, Hubei province, China, November 23, 2016. (Photo by Darley Shen/Reuters)





Pavilions are seen on a lake during a snow day in Xi'an, Shaanxi province, China, November 22, 2016. (Photo by Reuters/Stringer)





Paramilitary policemen attend a training session at a snow field in Kashgar, Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region, China, November 22, 2016. (Photo by Reuters/Stringer)





A test line of a new energy suspension railway, resembling a giant panda, is seen in Chengdu, Sichuan Province, China, November 21, 2016. (Photo by Reuters/China Daily)





A test line of a new energy suspension railway resembling the giant panda is seen in Chengdu, Sichuan Province, China, November 21, 2016. (Photo by Reuters/China Daily)





A view of the site where a power plant's cooling tower under construction collapsed in Fengcheng, Jiangxi province, China, November 24, 2016. (Photo by Reuters/China Daily)





Rescue workers carry out a victim at the site where a power plant's cooling tower under construction collapsed in Fengcheng, Jiangxi province, China, November 24, 2016. (Photo by Reuters/Stringer)





A man rests in front of an advertising board in Shanghai, China November 28, 2016. (Photo by Aly Song/Reuters)





A worker climbs a ladder to reach power cables in Shanghai, China November 28, 2016. (Photo by Aly Song/Reuters)





Two men check their phones on a street in Shanghai, China November 28, 2016. (Photo by Aly Song/Reuters)





Workers from a nearby North Korean restaurant walk along a footpath wearing traditional costumes in central Beijing June 18, 2012. (Photo by David Gray/Reuters)





A legal enforcement staff member walks past a vendor's shop selling cat meat as fake wild game in Chengdu, Sichuang province, China, November 28, 2016. (Photo by Reuters/Stringer)





A woman rides an electric bike, carrying her daughter home in an old residential area in central Beijing, China November 29, 2016. (Photo by Jason Lee/Reuters)





A man sits next to a motorbike loaded with garlic bulbs in Beijing, China, November 30, 2016. (Photo by Thomas Peter/Reuters)





A resident is pictured at a park on a sunny winter day in central Beijing, China, December 1, 2016. (Photo by Jason Lee/Reuters)





Employees work at an electric car production line in Weifang, Shandong province, China December 1, 2016. (Photo by Reuters/China Daily)





People blow to inflate condoms as they participate in a promotional event for AIDS prevention in Chongqing Municipality ahead of the World AIDS Day, China, November 30, 2016. (Photo by Reuters/Stringer)





People stand outside a shopping mall in Hong Kong, China September 27, 2016. (Photo by Bobby Yip/Reuters)





People cross a street outside a shopping mall in Hong Kong, China September 27, 2016. (Photo by Bobby Yip/Reuters)





A family rides an electric scooter on a street in Shanghai, China December 1, 2016. (Photo by Aly Song/Reuters)





People walk in front of a wall painted with graffiti along a street in Shanghai, China December 1, 2016. (Photo by Aly Song/Reuters)





Rescue workers pull a van out of water after an accident killed at least 18 people, in Ezhou, Hubei province, China, December 2, 2016. (Photo by Reuters/Stringer)





Rescue workers pull a van out of water after an accident killed at least 18 people, in Ezhou, Hubei province, China, December 2, 2016. (Photo by Reuters/Stringer)





Villagers gather to seek for ancient coins at a construction site, in Zhengzhou, Henan province, China, December 2, 2016. (Photo by Reuters/Stringer)





People play cards at a park in Shanghai, China December 2, 2016. (Photo by Aly Song/Reuters)





A couple exercises in front of the statue of German philosophers Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels at a park in Shanghai, China December 2, 2016. (Photo by Aly Song/Reuters)





Police perform during an event to mark the National Safe Traffic Day, in Handan, Hebei province, China, December 2, 2016. (Photo by Reuters/Stringer)





People stand outside the headquarters of the New Oriental Education & Technology Group in Beijing, China, November 25, 2016. (Photo by Thomas Peter/Reuters)





A woman walks past New Oriental Education & Technology Group headquarters in Beijing, China, November 16, 2016. (Photo by Jason Lee/Reuters)





Employees stand next to a container ship at Ningbo port in Ningbo, Zhejiang province June 21, 2012. (Photo by Carlos Barria/Reuters)





A family wearing masks walk on a bridge amid heavy smog in Shanghai, China December 5, 2016. (Photo by Aly Song/Reuters)





A couple prepares their wedding photo session in Shanghai, China December 5, 2016. (Photo by Aly Song/Reuters)





A man yawns next to cages of pet birds on a street in Shanghai, China December 5, 2016. (Photo by Aly Song/Reuters)





A man in a suit plugs in his mobile phone as he prepares to mount an electric scooter in Beijing, China December 6, 2016. (Photo by Thomas Peter/Reuters)





Workers stand outside a construction site at the end of their shift in Beijing, China December 6, 2016. (Photo by Thomas Peter/Reuters)





Workers look at mobile phones as they sit outside a construction site in Beijing, China December 6, 2016. (Photo by Thomas Peter/Reuters)





Workers eat street food at a stall outside a construction site at the end of their shift in Beijing, China December 6, 2016. (Photo by Thomas Peter/Reuters)





A woman and a toddler ride a tricycle taxi on a street in Beijing, Thursday, December 1, 2016. China's decision to change its one child policy and allow all married couples to have two children is expected to contribute to the country's long term economic growth and provide future relief for its greying population. (Photo by Andy Wong/AP Photo)





A street cleaner pushes his tricycle through the alleys of Wuzhen Township of Tongxiang City, in east China's Zhejiang province on November 25, 2016. (Photo by Johannes Eisele/AFP Photo)