US, China envoys strive to revive climate diplomacy as planet reels under extreme weather

BEIJING – US climate envoy 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 waves of extreme heat and rainfall hit large parts of the globe.

While Mr Kerry met his counterpart, Mr Xie Zhenhua, in Beijing on Monday in efforts to rebuild trust between the world’s top two greenhouse gas emitters, severe heat warnings were declared in Italy, Greece and the US.

Floods have already killed at least 40 people in South Korea and more than five in the US north-east, with unusually heavy rainfall in India also forcing the evacuation of hundreds of people in the capital New Delhi.

China has also experienced months of record-breaking heat and extreme weather, with readings at one weather station in the far north-western region of Xinjiang on Sunday hitting an all-time high of 52.2 deg C.

“Floods and intensive storms happen with greater frequency than ever before... Fires devour millions of acres of forest every year,” Mr Kerry said, as delegates gathered in a conference room overlooking Beijing’s Forbidden City on Monday morning.

“It is toxic for both Chinese and for Americans and for people in every country on the planet,” he added. He urged China to partner with the US to cut methane emissions and reduce the climate impact of coal-fired power, with

the two sides aiming to rebuild trust

following a suspension in talks in 2022. 

“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,” said Mr Kerry.

This week’s meetings, which will continue until Wednesday, will 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. 

Mr Kerry praised the “incredible job” China has been doing in building up renewable energy capacity, but said 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 2022.

Mr Kerry’s third visit to China

as US climate envoy marks the formal resumption of 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 stabilise their broader bilateral relationship.

China’s Mr Xie said on Monday that he and Mr Kerry could play a role in improving tense relations between the US and China.

Mr Kerry and Mr Xie met on Sunday night for a one-on-one dinner. 

Mr Kerry complimented Mr 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,” Mr Xie said. “I counted that since the two of us were appointed special envoys, we have met 53 times.”

But despite cordial relations between the veteran envoys, underlying tensions between the two sides could still hamper progress this week.

Talks were suspended in 2022 following the visit of then US House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi to Taiwan, an island that China regards as a renegade province to be reunified, by force if necessary.

Beijing has also accused the US of unfairly criticising China’s climate record while failing to meet its own pledges, particularly when it comes to financing climate action in poorer countries.

China has also bristled at US calls that it should do more to cut greenhouse gases, saying it is a developing country with historical emissions that remain significantly lower than those of the US.

A senior State Department official said efforts to force developing countries to shoulder more of the burden of emission cutting will be a “point of contention” with China, which says it is inconsistent with the Paris Agreement. 

“I think that Kerry and Mr Xie have a very strong partnership, they have mutual trust,” said Professor Zhang Haibin, associate dean at the School of International Studies at Peking University.

“But you know, looking to the future... There is a lot of uncertainty. US domestic politics is now in the next presidential election already. US domestic politics is very complicated.”  REUTERS