China: The United States Special Presidential Envoy for Climate, Mr. John Kerry, has travelled to China on 16th July 2023, to meet Mr. Xie Zhenhua, the Special Representative for Climate Change Affairs of China.
The visit aims to restart talks between the world’s two biggest emitters of planet-warming gases. Mr. Kerry’s trip to China is happening after weeks of record-setting summer heat that scientists say is being exacerbated by climate change. Last year, then Speaker of the US House of Representatives, Ms. Nancy Pelosi, visited self-ruled Taiwan and infuriated Beijing for Bilateral climate talks. But it didn’t go well, and the talks were stalled.
Despite the tensions between Washington and Beijing over Taiwan and various other contentious matters, including advanced semiconductors, Mr. Kerry, a former secretary of state, has maintained comparatively amicable and steady relations with China.
Mr. Kerry’s China visit also comes after Secretary of State Mr. Antony Blinken and Treasury Secretary Ms. Janet Yellen aimed at stabilising US-China ties. Mr. Kerry was scheduled to depart for China on 15th July 2023, according to the US State Department. The Biden administration has identified climate change as a potential area of cooperation with Beijing, despite tensions elsewhere, as per the statement.
The World Meteorological Organisation has observed that the restart of US-China climate talks will come on the heels of the hottest week on record globally. Mr. Kerry will be engaging with Chinese officials “with respect to increasing implementation and ambition and promoting a successful COP28”, the State Department said. The UAE is the host of COP28, and Nearly 200 nations will gather to thrash out and mitigate global warming and its impacts.
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