On Saturday afternoon (April 17), the U.S. Department of State released a “Joint Statement on the U.S.-China Response to the Climate Crisis,” stating that the two countries are committed to working with each other and with other countries to address the climate crisis in a way that is as severe and urgent as its severity requires.
John Kerry, the U.S. President’s Special Envoy for Climate Issues, met Wednesday through Friday (April 14-16) in Shanghai with Xie Zhenhua, the Chinese Communist Party’s Special Envoy for Climate Change Affairs, to discuss the climate crisis.
Kerry, who previously served as secretary of state in the Obama administration, was the first official from the Biden administration to visit China. Over the past 20 years, Kerry and Xie have worked together on climate issues on several occasions.
Xie has a long history of working on climate change, having served on the National Environmental Protection Agency and the National Development and Reform Commission, where he led the Chinese Communist Party delegation that negotiated the Paris Climate Agreement. He is currently a retired returning special envoy.
The Biden administration came into office with a three-pronged policy – cooperate when possible, compete when you should, and be hostile when necessary – and the climate sector was seen as an important area where the two countries could work together.
Kerry received a video reception from Han Zheng, a member of the Standing Committee of the Communist Party’s Politburo, on Friday (16). According to Xinhua, the official Communist Party news agency, Han said, “In addressing climate change, [China and the United States] should follow the principle of common but differentiated responsibilities.” He referred to China as a developing country and the United States as a developed country, implying that there should be a difference in the responsibilities of China and the United States.
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