Image source,Reuters
Kerry said China should be able to make more contributions to preventing climate change
The US climate envoy John Kerry visited China and stated to the host the White House’s position that efforts to prevent climate change should be more important than any existing political differences between the two countries.
Kerry stated the above position two days after meeting with Chinese officials in Tianjin. Kerry said at a press conference held in Tianjin on September 2 that he told China that “climate is ideological, it does not distinguish the enemy from us, and it is not a geopolitical weapon.”
He said: “This is very important…No matter what differences we have, we must deal with the climate crisis.”
Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi warned on September 1 that the continued deterioration of US-China relations may affect future bilateral cooperation on climate issues. Wang Yi called on the United States to “stop viewing China as a threat or adversary” and accused Washington of making “major strategic misjudgments” in its relations with China.
Wang Yi pointed out that it is “impossible” to upgrade US-China climate cooperation in the current environment of US-China relations.
U.S.-China relations have continued to deteriorate recently due to a series of divergent issues such as human rights, the South China Sea, and the source of the new crown epidemic.
U.S.-China disagreement
China became the world‘s largest carbon emitter in 2006, with annual carbon emissions exceeding a quarter of global emissions. Although both the United States and China have announced their own steps to address climate change, Kerry continues to call on China to increase its efforts to reduce carbon emissions.
President Xi Jinping once stated that China’s carbon emissions will peak in 2030 and will reach the carbon neutral goal in 2060. However, China has not announced specific steps to achieve the above goals.
Kerry said that he hopes to meet with Chinese leaders again at the UN COP26 climate summit in Glasgow, Scotland later this year, and continue to work hard to promote emission reduction targets. Kerry said that the consistent attitude of the United States is to encourage countries including China to do their utmost to reduce emissions, and believes that China can make more contributions.
Robin Brandt, a BBC correspondent in Shanghai, said that if the United States and China make any progress in emissions reduction cooperation, they should now be able to see official channels for certification.
This is John Kerry’s second visit to China in months.
It seems that China has not recognized the conditions put forward by the United States. China does not agree to treat climate change negotiations separately from the broader bilateral differences between Beijing and Washington; if you want to talk, talk together.
In other words, John Kerry has so far failed to put the only negotiation item on the US side on the negotiating table. He emphasized that such a major matter should not be affected by tariffs, sanctions or extradition incidents.
The question facing President Biden now is whether he will change his strategy after he continues and even strengthens some of the punitive policies of his predecessors against China?