China hopes US will continue climate change collaboration whoever wins election, says official

BEIJING/SINGAPORE – China hopes the US will be able to continue to cooperate with other countries on climate change, whatever the outcome of the presidential election next week, a senior government official said on Nov 1.

Cooperation between China and the US, the world’s top two emitters of climate warming greenhouse gases, has helped seal major climate deals, including the 2015 Paris Agreement. 

But the re-election of former president Donald Trump could end bilateral climate engagement between the two sides, with Trump likely to pull the US out of the Paris Agreement for a second time.   

“We expect the US can maintain the stability and consistency of its climate policy, and we hope it can continue to work with other countries globally,” said Mr Xia Yingxian, director-general of the climate office at China’s Environment Ministry, during a briefing.

With COP29 climate talks set to get under way in Baku, Azerbaijan, in 10 days, Mr Xia told reporters he hoped the meeting would send a positive signal that “multilateralism cannot be reversed, and international cooperation is indispensable”.

As part of their obligations under the Paris Agreement, countries must submit new and more ambitious “nationally determined contributions” (NDCs) to the UN by February 2025.

Washington has been pushing Beijing to commit to an emissions cut of 30 per cent by 2035, but experts have warned that US clout in climate diplomacy would be eroded significantly if Trump wins next week.   

Mr Xia told reporters that China will “firmly implement its NDCs” and said new targets for 2035 had already been proposed, but he did not give any further details.

While China has pledged to bring carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions to a peak “before 2030” and become carbon-neutral by 2060, researchers say it is capable of greater ambition, with CO2 possibly already in decline.

But though China has “made significant progress”, energy demand is still on the rise and green trade barriers are holding back progress, warned Mr Wen Hua, vice-director of the environmental protection office at the National Development and Reform Commission, China’s planning agency.

“It has to be pointed out that the carbon peaking and carbon neutrality goals require arduous efforts,” he told the Nov 1 briefing.

In October, an influential Chinese state think-tank called on the government to set a target to cut absolute levels of carbon emissions by 2035. 

The China Council for International Cooperation on Environment and Development also recommended the government to double total wind and solar capacity to 2,400 gigawatts by 2030. REUTERS