Visiting Beijing on Monday, July 17 to reinvigorate climate talks between the United States and China, John Kerry, former Secretary of State to Barack Obama, now US Climate Envoy, spoke with his counterpart Xie Zhenhua in a four-hour meeting, state broadcaster CCTV reports.
The dialogue had been interrupted almost a year ago, following a diplomatic disagreement: China had suspended it to protest against the trip to Taiwan of Nancy Pelosi, then speaker of the United States House of Representatives. United. This exchange therefore marks the resumption of discussions on climate change between the two main polluters on the planet.
New agreements could emerge after months of tensions, although Washington still wants to show its firmness in this area.
John Kerry will call on China to “not hide behind the assertion that it is a developing country”, to diminish its commitment against climate change, indicated on CNN on Sunday on CNN the president’s national security adviser, Jake Sullivan.
“Every country, including China, has a responsibility to reduce its emissions,” the adviser said, adding, “I think the world should encourage China even more, even pressure it, to take much more action. radical steps to reduce emissions. The world’s second-largest economy “still has work to do in this area” and “Mr. Kerry will emphasize this when he travels to Beijing,” Sullivan said.
John Kerry, who is in China until Wednesday, is to meet his counterpart Xie Zhenhua there. In recent months, visits have multiplied from Washington to warm diplomatic relations: US Secretary of State Antony Blinken came in June, then US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen in early July.
The arrival of John Kerry comes at a time when the impact of climate change is particularly felt on the planet, with heat waves in many regions of the world. The Biden administration believes the climate is one area where the two fiercely competing powers can cooperate.
The world’s largest emitter of greenhouse gases – responsible for climate change – China has promised to reach its peak in CO2 emissions by 2030, then carbon neutrality by 2060.
President Xi Jinping also assured that his country would reduce its use of coal from 2026. However, the authorities gave the green light in April to a further increase in the capacity of electricity generation from coal, casting doubt on the compliance with its climate objectives.
