In hours-long talks on Monday, China’s special envoy for climate change Xie Zhenhua and his US counterpart John Kerry attempted to revive climate cooperation between the two superpowers, whose relations are currently at a historical low.
Climate Cooperation
“China is seeking substantial dialogue this week, and exchanges on climate and the green transition could contribute to improving China-US bilateral relations,” Bloomberg reported Xie as saying on Monday, as officials from both sides gathered in Beijing for three days of talks.
I’m in Beijing meeting with high-level leadership to explore the possibilities of renewing cooperation on reducing emissions and other critical pathways to addressing the climate crisis. pic.twitter.com/hR8M0mFO4m
— Special Presidential Envoy John Kerry (@ClimateEnvoy) July 18, 2023
Kerry, who visited China for the third time in his current role, said he hoped China and the US would take “big steps that will send a signal to the world” about how seriously the superpowers take the common threat to humanity.
“From experience, if we work at it we can find the path again in ways that resolve these challenges. The world is really looking to us for that leadership, particularly on the climate issue,” Kerry said in another meeting with China’s top diplomat Wang Yi.
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said of the meeting that climate change is “a common challenge facing humanity.”
She added:
“The Chinese side will act in the spirit of the meeting between the two heads of state in Bali, have in-depth exchange of views with the US side on issues related to climate change, and work with the US to meet challenges and enhance the well-being of people in the world and the generations to come.”
I’ve just finished the first day of conversations in Beijing as the entire world is living the reality of daily record-breaking heat. The climate crisis demands that the world’s two largest economies work together to limit the Earth’s warming. We must take urgent action on a… pic.twitter.com/o1fPdl6PhD
— Special Presidential Envoy John Kerry (@ClimateEnvoy) July 17, 2023
Meanwhile, US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan told CNN on Sunday that Kerry would attempt to press China not to “hide behind any kind of claim that they are a developing nation,” in order to eventually introduce efforts to cut emissions.
Sullivan was referring to a bill passed by the House in March that seeks to strip China of its “developing country” status.
Compartmentalizing Aspects of Bilateral Ties
In a commentary published on Sunday, China’s Xinhua state news agency said that the recent US-China official interactions were a “good sign for preventing further miscalculations, and steering bilateral relations back on track.”
Notably, it added that Beijing was looking to gain further concessions on the political side — something the US has stated it will not concede.
“It is especially true for the White House to bear in mind that seeking to compartmentalize cooperation with — or competition and suppression against — China in bilateral ties is simply unrealistic in practice and unacceptable for Beijing,” Xinhua said.
“For China-US cooperation to be healthy and sustainable, bilateral ties must be treated as a whole,” it concluded.