U.S. climate envoy John Kerry arrived in Shanghai on the 14th to discuss climate with Chinese climate official Xie Zhenhua in preparation for the global climate summit Biden is hosting next week, but what the two talked about and who Kerry met with is shrouded in secrecy. Xinhua just sent out a message saying that Han Zheng, a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and Vice Premier, held a video conversation with Kerry.
According to official media reports cited by Reuters, Han appreciated the U.S. return to the ‘Paris climate agreement,’ but no further details have been disclosed beyond that. Han’s appearance came as a surprise to observers after days of rumors that Kerry might meet with Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi or Yang Jiechi, the more senior director of the Communist Party’s foreign affairs office.
Biden will hold a climate summit on the 22nd and 23rd, inviting more than 40 heads of state, including Xi Jinping and Putin, to attend, and China has not yet officially replied whether Xi will attend. Kerry said before his trip that the United States would not change its attitude toward human rights in China, and that climate issues should be discussed separately.
Judging from Han’s meeting with Kerry, it seems that the chances of Xi Jinping’s participation in the meeting have increased significantly? A few hours ago, the Chinese side seemed to be reckoning. 15, Beijing pre-empted Xi Jinping’s invitation to the Sino-French-German climate summit on the 16th, which French media interpreted as a possible attempt to draw in the EU and embarrass Biden.
The French newspaper Le Monde reported that the Chinese side, as an invited country, went against its usual practice and announced the tripartite video conference in advance, calling it the “Sino-French-German climate video summit”. The French presidency said that the climate meeting between French President Macron, German Chancellor Angela Merkel and Chinese President Xi Jinping on the 16th was a “regular dialogue”.
China’s CCTV news broadcast announced on the 16th that “President Xi Jinping held a video summit with French President Macron and German Chancellor Angela Merkel in Beijing. The three leaders had an in-depth exchange of views on cooperation in addressing climate change, China-Europe relations, cooperation in fighting epidemics, and major international and regional issues.”
In contrast to the Chinese side’s fanfare, the Elysee Palace simply described it as a “video conference,” and the Berlin side briefly mentioned the meeting and said the three parties agreed to the dialogue weeks ago, implying that it was not in any way aimed at the United States.
French media also cited EU sources as saying that Kerry went to Brussels to meet with a number of EU commissioners before going to Shanghai, and that the two sides communicated their positions on climate issues.
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