US Climate Envoy Kerry Meets Chinese Counterpart

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Facts

  • On Monday, US climate envoy John Kerry visited Beijing to participate in his first extensive face-to-face meeting with Chinese counterpart Xie Zhenhua. The meeting marked the resumption of talks more than a year after they were paused due to trade and human rights disputes.1
  • Kerry — expected to urge China to join the effort to cut methane emissions and reduce the climate impact of coal-fired power — said before the meeting that China and the US must get on the same page in advance of UN-sponsored climate talks scheduled to take place in Dubai in four months.2
  • In his opening remarks, Xie said China was hoping to have “substantial dialogue” with the US this week.3
  • The meeting took place while some townships in China have been experiencing record high temperatures, and while large portions of Asia, Europe, and the US have been dealing with extreme heatwaves in recent weeks.4
  • Kerry’s visit also comes amid US efforts to rekindle relations with China, with Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen having recently visited the nation.5

Sources: 1Associated Press, 2Reuters, 3South China Morning Post, 4Guardian, and 5News.

Narratives

  • Left narrative, as provided by Washington Post. It’s important that the US and China thaw their relationship, but there’s no issue more significant than climate change, which threatens both countries along with the rest of the world. There’s room for agreement between the two world powers, but if China refuses to cooperate, the Biden administration could tackle the problem independently; such a course of action would only come at the detriment to China’s economy.
  • Right narrative, as provided by Breitbart. This visit is a waste of time. Before Kerry even arrived in China, the government-run media was touting the country’s plans to blow off Kerry’s offers of cooperation. The US shouldn’t be negotiating with China on any issue until it improves its human rights record and stops being the world’s largest emitter of carbon. China isn’t serious about being an altruistic actor on the world stage — Beijing should be treated as a hindrance rather than an ally.

Predictions