Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi told top U.S. climate diplomat John Kerry that poor U.S.-China relations could hinder cooperation on climate change (SCMP). The Joe Biden administration has attempted to pursue climate cooperation with Beijing; at the same time, it has sanctioned Chinese officials and maintained tariffs imposed by President Donald Trump.
Kerry is currently in China to meet with his counterpart Xie Zhenhua. Kerry said he will urge China to move its peak emissions target (WaPo) earlier than 2030 ahead of November’s UN climate conference. However, Wang said that broader U.S. moves that treat China as a “threat and an adversary” put such cooperation at risk. The Biden administration has left in place tariffs on hundreds of billions of dollars worth of Chinese goods and has yet to complete a review of trade policy with China, prompting some U.S. business leaders to call for more definition and less antagonism (NYT) in the countries’ economic relationship.
Analysis
“Negotiating proactively with China cannot curtail climate change; Beijing would impose unacceptable costs while failing to deliver on its end of any bargain. Only a united climate coalition has the potential to bring China to the table for productive negotiations, rather than the extractive ones it currently pursues,”
“Putting the China threat at the core of U.S. strategy crowds out and complicates two issues that pose even greater threats: pandemic prevention and climate change,”
