Nick+Smith+and+Andy+Hou

=**1AC**=

===TEXT: The United States federal government should substantially increase its economic and diplomatic engagement with the People's Republic of China to develop sustainable investment standards in China's financing institutions.===

===WILL LIKELY CHANGE TO: The United States federal government should substantially increase its economic and diplomatic engagement with the People's Republic of China to develop sustainable investment standards in the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank.===

1. Flexible interpretation and ineffective implementation
Larsen and Gilbert 3/14/16 [Gaia, Senior Associate in the WRI's Sustainable Finance Center, where she leads its work on financial institutions and climate finance readiness, Sean, China director and Director of Sustainability Reporting Framework at the Global Reporting Initiative, “Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank Releases New Environmental and Social Standards. How Do They Stack Up?”, World Resources Institute, 3/4/16, []] MG

2. Investment in mega infrastructure projects and coal plants
Bankwatch, 15 [CEE Bankwatch Network, international non-governmental organisation with member organisations from countries across central and eastern Europe that monitors activities of IFIs to promote sustainable projects, “New Beijing-backed Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank struggles to convince on environment and sustainability issues”, 12/17/15, []] MG

3. Determines the 2° Celsius temp threshold
Nassiry and Nakhooda, 16 [Darius, head of international cooperation department at Global Green Growth Institute, Director at Millennium Challenge Corporation where he led teams for development of investment programs in Asia, Smita, Climate finance fellow at World Resources Institute, “The AIIB and investment in action on climate change”, Working Paper 433, April 2016, []] MG

1. Chinese willingness to improve and US expertise
Ma, 14 (Yuge Ma, DPhil Candidate at the Environmental Change Institute (ECI), University of Oxford, 12-5-2014, "The Environmental Implications of China’s New Bank," Diplomat, [] //PD)//

2. Guideline harmonization and global leadership Hart et al., 6/13/16 (Melanie Hart, Pete Ogden, Kelly Sims Gallagher, Melanie Hart is a Senior Fellow and Director of China Policy at the Center for American Progress. Pete Ogden is a Senior Fellow at the Center. Kelly Sims Gallagher is professor of energy and environmental policy at The Fletcher School, Tufts University. 6-13-2016, "Green Finance: The Next Frontier for U.S.-China Climate Cooperation," Center For American Progress, [] PD)

3. Incentivizes lax standards across investment banks globally
Laurence 16 --- Research Professor and Australian Laureate at James Cook University (Bill, “Will New Mega-Banks Force A 'Race to The Bottom' For The Environment?”, ALERT Conservation, 4/4/2016, []), “LJH”

Warming is real, anthropogenic, and threatens extinction
Griffin, 15 – Professor of Philosophy at Claremont, David, “The climate is ruined. So can civilization even survive?”, 4-14, []

1. Sends a perception of containment
Scott **Kennedy 15** --- Deputy Director of the Freeman Chair in China Studies and Director of the Project on Chinese Business and Political Economy at the Center for Strategic and International Studies(Scott; “What Went Wrong With U.S. Strategy on China’s New Bank and What Should Washington Do Now?”; March 25th; https://www.chinafile.com/conversation/what-went-wrong-us-strategy-chinas-new-bank-and-what-should-washington-do-now)//pk

2. Replaces security competition with economic dialogue
Wyne, 15 --- contributing analyst at Wikistrat and a global fellow at the Project for the Study of the 21st Century (6/1/15, Ali, “Is America’s Mind-set the Greatest Threat to Its Future?” [], article downloaded 5/3/16, JMP) *Joseph Nye is a professor at the Harvard Kennedy School and one of the most esteemed analysts of world affairs**

3. Focal point of cooperation – solves SCS and cyber conflict
Noori, et. al, 15 --- Program Specialist, Middle East & North Africa Programs at United States Institute of Peace (8/24/15, Maral Noori, Daniel Jasper and Jason Tower, “Overcoming Barriers to U.S.-China Cooperation,” [], downloaded on 4/21/16, JMP)

Hinders US soft power
Lehmann, 15 --- Emeritus Professor at IMD, Lausanne (Switzerland), currently Visiting Professor at Hong Kong University and at NIIT University in Neemrana, Rajasthan (India) (4/2/15, Jean-Pierre Lehmann, “China And The US: The AIIB Fiasco &amp; America's Colossal Loss Of Face,” http://www.forbes.com/sites/jplehmann/2015/04/02/china-and-the-us-the-aiib-fiasco-americas-colossal-loss-of-face/print/, article downloaded 6/14/16, JMP)

South China Sea conflict goes nuclear.
Christensen 6/5/ 15 – Thomas J., Boswell professor of world politics and director of the China and the World Program at Princeton University, is a former U.S. deputy assistant secretary of state for East Asian and Pacific affairs, “China's Rising Military: Now for the Hard Part” http://www.bloombergview.com/articles/2015-06-05/china-s-rising-military-now-for-the-hard-part

Security prioritization makes war inevitable

 * Marston 16** --- works in a major Washington, DC think tank and writes on Southeast Asia and U.S. foreign policy (Hunter Marston, 6-19-2016, "More Trade Won't Stop China's Aggression" National Interest, 6-16-2016, []