China rejects John Kerry–Xi told him, it’s business as usual for China • Interested in that?
By Paul Homewood
China’s leaders have rebuffed efforts by President Biden’s climate envoy, John Kerry, to commit to tougher climate action during three days of talks in Beijing, a response that underscores how tensions between the nations are making it difficult to jointly address a crisis that threatens the planet.
Mr. Kerry appeared late Wednesday after lengthy negotiations in Beijing that resulted in no new agreement. In fact, the President of China, Xi Jinping, emphasized in a speech that China will pursue its goals of eliminating carbon dioxide pollution at its own pace and in its own way.
However, Mr. Kerry expressed excitement that the world the two biggest polluters has restarted discussions, which had been frozen for a year because of strained relations over Taiwan, trade and other issues. He insists he’s not disappointed with the results, noting that just talking marks progress.
“We’ve had very frank talks but we’re here to make a new breakthrough,” Kerry said, adding, “Obviously we’re going to need to do a little bit more.”
It is not an exaggeration to say that the extent of global warming depends on the decisions of China and the United States. China is now responsible for almost a third of global emissions, more than all other developed nations combined. To avoid the worst consequences of a warming world, experts say, it is vital that the United States, the world’s largest emitter throughout history, work with China to cut carbon pollution.
Mr. Kerry had hoped to convince China to start reducing its carbon emissions in a quicker time and to rapidly phase out its heavy use of coal, the dirtiest fossil fuel. While the United States generates 14% of global carbon emissions, China is responsible for 31% and its pollution is increasing every year. China says it will peak emissions by 2030 and stop adding carbon to the atmosphere by 2060.
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Mr. Xi, who did not meet Mr. Kerry during the envoy’s visit this week, said that China would stick to its own timetable on cutting emissions. “The path and means of achieving this goal, as well as the pace and intensity, should and must be determined by ourselves, and should never be dictated by others,” he said in a statement Wednesday according to Official People’s Daily báo.
Mr. Kerry said discussions with Chinese leaders around the country’s coal mining expansion were among the biggest challenges. China has built a number of new coal-fired plants in the past two years, forcing the country to keep using it. Mr. Kerry has tried to persuade China to limit coal use and implement a plan to cut methane, a powerful greenhouse gas that leaks from oil and gas wells and coal mines, but has been unsuccessful.
In short, China told John Kerry to go away. They intend to continue as before, putting economic growth first. The fact that Kerry can’t even speak to President Xi speaks for itself, as it will be Xi who will make the decisions, not the Chinese officials he has met.
Meanwhile, the US Secretary of the Treasury, Janet Yellen, is terribly flawed, showing us who is really in charge here!
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