US Special Presidential Envoy for Climate John Kerry said it was “imperative that China and the United States make real progress” in the four months before the COP28 global climate talks in Dubai, as he met Chinese Special Envoy on Climate Change Xie Zhenhua (解振華) in Beijing yesterday.
He also urged China to partner with the US to cut methane emissions and reduce the effects of coal-fired power, with the two sides aiming to rebuild trust following a suspension in talks last year.
As delegates representing the world’s top two greenhouse gas emitters gathered in a conference room overlooking Beijing’s Forbidden City yesterday morning, Xie said that China is seeking “substantial” dialogue this week.
Photo: Reuters
Those exchanges on climate and the green transition could make a contribution “to improving our bilateral relations,” he added.
“In the next three days we hope we can begin taking some big steps that will send a signal to the world about the serious purpose of China and the United States to address a common risk, threat, challenge to all of humanity created by humans themselves,” Kerry said.
“I hope we can work with the greatest purpose we have ever worked to try to get this done,” the former US secretary of state added.
This week’s meetings, which are to continue until tomorrow, have no formal schedule, but are expected to focus on the abatement of methane and other non-carbon dioxide emissions, as well as the run-up to COP28.
China’s reliance on coal is also likely to be on the agenda.
Kerry praised the “incredible job” China has been doing in building up renewable energy capacity, but said that it had been undercut by the construction of new coal power plants.
China has pledged to start reducing coal consumption, but not until 2026, and new coal power project approvals have accelerated since last year.
Kerry’s third visit to China as US climate envoy marks the formal resumption in top-level climate diplomacy between the two countries. The former secretary of state is the third US official to visit Beijing in recent weeks as China and the US aim to stabilize their broader bilateral relationship.
Kerry and Xie met on Sunday night for a one-on-one dinner.
Kerry complimented Xie for being back at work after overcoming illness. Both referred to each other as friends.
“Yesterday after we met each other, I did a little calculation,” Xie said yestesrday. “I counted that since the two of us have been appointed special envoys, we have met 53 times.”
However, despite cordial relations between the two veteran envoys, underlying tensions between the two sides could still hamper progress this week.
Talks were suspended last year following the visit of then-US House of Representatives speaker Nancy Pelosi to Taiwan.
Additional reporting by Bloomberg
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