Editorial | Global hopes rest on an improved climate between China, US
- Beijing talks between envoys end with pledge to keep working ‘intensively’ towards agreement as world buckles under record-breaking temperatures
Record-breaking temperatures around the world surely turned up the heat on US climate envoy John Kerry and his Chinese hosts as they met in Beijing this week seeking ways to cooperate on fighting climate change. Though the talks between Earth’s two biggest greenhouse gas emitters ended with no agreements, Kerry said there was a commitment to keep working “intensively”.
Hopefully, that means a spark of trust can start to thaw a relationship in deep freeze.
Kerry rounded off his four-day visit on Wednesday after meeting Vice-President Han Zheng, Premier Li Qiang and top diplomat Wang Yi among others. The talks were “long and detailed” and “very frank”, he said, admitting the two sides “clearly agreed on” many things while other issues needed “a little more time”.
During the visit, President Xi Jinping said China’s path towards reducing carbon emissions “must be determined by the country itself, rather than swayed by others”. Some observers said Xi’s remarks showed the limits of US influence.
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Others noted that his words reflected how fighting climate change was a cornerstone of government policy, albeit on Beijing’s own terms.
