John Kerry says climate cooperation could redefine Sino-US relations

by Valerie Volcovici

BEIJING (Reuters) – US climate envoy John Kerry told leaders on Tuesday that China and the United States could use climate cooperation to redefine their ties and lead in the fight against global warming. Sugar.

John Kerry is traveling to China for three days with the aim of reviving climate cooperation between the world’s two most polluted countries.

John Kerry told Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi during a meeting in Beijing, “We hope this can be the beginning of a new definition of cooperation and the ability to resolve disputes between us.”

John Kerry’s visit to China coincides with the appearance of extreme climate events affecting parts of the world.

In the United States, the mercury soared to 53 degrees Celsius on Sunday in Death Valley, California, while the Xinjiang region (northwest) in China recorded a high of 52.2 degrees on Sunday.

John Kerry, after an unusual hiatus from Chinese Premier Li Qiang, cast doubt on the record temperatures recorded in Xinjiang, saying “the forecasts are more dire than ever.”

According to those attending the meeting, Premier Li Qiang later acknowledged the existence of climate challenges facing China and other countries.

The main obstacles lie in the issue of climate finance, China’s coal consumption and the depletion of the potent greenhouse gas methane.

new beginning

John Kerry told Wang Yi, “We hope that this can not only be the beginning of a conversation between you and me and us on the climate path, but also the beginning of a comprehensive change in our relationship.”

The latter called John Kerry “an old friend of mine”, adding that they “worked together to resolve a range of problems between the two parties”.

The US envoy also met with his Chinese counterpart Xie Zhenhua at a Beijing hotel on Monday for about 12 hours.

John Kerry’s third visit to China as climate envoy marks the resumption of high-level exchanges between the two countries.

The former secretary of state is the third high-ranking US leader to visit Beijing in the past month.

“The world is really counting on us for this leadership, especially on the climate issue,” said John Kerry.

(Reporting by Valerie Volcovici, Ethan Wang and the Beijing bureau; French version Zifan Liu, Editing by Kate Enstringer)