State Department officials have confirmed that U.S. and Chinese climate negotiators have had preliminary talks and have called on China to implement a more intentional policy to reduce carbon emissions. However, even though U.S. and Chinese officials are optimistic about cooperation between the two countries on climate change issues, experts are questioning this and calling on the U.S. side to be wary of China’s trade protection in the name of climate change.
According to Voice of America, the State Department confirmed that John Kerry, the White House climate change envoy for the Joe Biden administration, has had initial talks with Xie Zhenhua following his return as China’s senior climate negotiator, and that the two will remain in contact.
State Department officials told the Voice of America that China is currently the world’s largest emitter of carbon, accounting for nearly 30 percent, in addition to the carbon emissions generated by China’s heavy development in countries along the Belt and Road. “We can’t really guard against climate change if China is not involved. China and all countries must be more intentional about reaching net 0 carbon emissions.”
Last September, Chinese President Xi Jinping announced that China’s carbon dioxide emissions would peak by 2030 and reach “carbon neutrality” by 2060. “Carbon neutrality is the process of using low-carbon energy and afforestation to offset its own carbon emissions, resulting in relatively “zero emissions”. The U.S. accounts for 15 percent of global carbon emissions, and the Biden Administration plans to reach “net zero” by 2050.
The new U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations, Linda Thomas-Greenfield, told reporters yesterday (1) that although the U.S. and China have serious differences on human rights and other issues, there is potential for cooperation between the two countries on climate issues. Yang Jiechi, director of the Office of Foreign Affairs of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China, also said last month that mutual cooperation on climate issues is an opportunity for China to ease relations between the U.S. and China.
However, Drew Thompson, a senior researcher at the University of Singapore’s School of Public Policy, is deeply skeptical of these claims. According to Thompson, China’s 2060 carbon emission policy-led industrial policy will in turn deepen the competitive relationship between China and the United States, as China can use climate change as a reason to implement trade protection policies in areas such as electric vehicles and new energy. According to Tang, the test for the White House climate change envoy, Kerry, is whether to insist that China carry out substantive reforms in these areas, or to be satisfied with a formal agreement with China, so that China can carry out trade protection in the name of climate change.
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