BEIJING: China and the United States (US) could use climate cooperation to redefine their troubled diplomatic ties and lead the way in tackling global warming, US climate envoy John Kerry has told China’s top diplomat Wang Yi.
In a meeting at Beijing’s Great Hall of the People on Tuesday, Kerry told Wang that negotiations could provide a fresh start for the two biggest greenhouse gas emitters in the world, which have been mired in disputes over trade and Taiwan.
Kerry said that this can be the start of a new definition of cooperation and ability to resolve differences between the two countries, according to US media.
Wang described John Kerry as “my old friend”, saying they have worked together to resolve a series of issues between both countries.
Kerry met with his counterpart Xie Zhenhua for about twelve hours at the Beijing Hotel on Monday.
Resumption of US-China climate diplomacy
Kerry’s third trip to Beijing as US climate envoy marks the formal restart of high-level climate diplomacy between the two big nations. He is the third top US official to visit China in the past month.
Kerry has called for urgent action by US and China to tackle the danger of the climate crisis as the world’s two largest polluters resumed stalled diplomacy on slashing planet-warming emissions.
He told Wang that climate is a global issue, not a bilateral one. It is a threat to all of humankind and a matter of world leadership.
Wang, in response, highlighted the need for a healthy, sustainable, and stable Sino-US relationship.
He told Kerry that cooperation on climate change was advancing and China and US need the joint support of their people in this regard.
