US special envoy for climate, John Kerry, concluded his visit to China on Thursday (07/20/2023) and assured that both countries had “clear agreements” on some issues, although he acknowledged that there were others this would require “more time” to find a solution.
At a press conference at the end of his trip, Kerry said his goal was to break “the standoff that has lasted for almost a year” between the two powers and that he had had “long and detailed” talks with his Chinese counterparts about the climate crisis, as the official Chinese agency Xinhua picked up.
“We agreed to stay in touch to manage this crisis and together ensure the success of COP28,” Kerry said of the climate summit to be held in the United Arab Emirates later this year. He stressed that this will not be a one-off dialogue and that both parties have agreed to intensify their work in the coming weeks.
“We have already set the date for our next meeting and even the next one. We recognize that there is only about four months left until COP28 and we need to make up for lost time, accelerate talks, set goals and ensure that we ‘overcome obstacles and achieve results”, he pointed out.
Kerry visited China July 16-19 at the invitation of his Chinese counterpart Xie Zhenhua, with whom he met. He also met with Chinese Communist Party (CCP) Foreign Affairs Commission Chairman Wang Yi and Vice President Han Zheng, among others.
During his meeting with Kerry, Wang stressed the importance of maintaining “stable relations” between the two countries after several years of rising tensions and the need to “remove any interference” in order to get moving of relaxation to return to healthy development. .
The parties recognized the “enormous potential” for cooperation on climate change and the importance of supporting their respective citizens, China’s Foreign Ministry said.
Washington is seeking close cooperation on the climate front while pressuring China on other issues such as reducing coal consumption and methane emissions.
For its part, China hopes to promote substantive dialogue and focus on the green transition.
Kerry’s visit comes just days after US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen, who called for more communication with Beijing, although she acknowledged there were “significant disagreements”.
gs (efe, Portal)
Two superpowers, one climate
This browser does not support the video element.