Premier tells US envoy Kerry addressing crisis together would benefit both nations and the world
Premier Li Qiang meets with John Kerry, the United States’ special presidential envoy for climate, in Beijing on July 18. (FENG YONGBIN / CHINA DAILY)
Premier Li Qiang told United States Special Presidential Envoy for Climate John Kerry on July 18 that China and the US should cooperate more closely to address climate change, saying that enhanced cooperation between the two countries would not only benefit each other but also the world.
Kerry started a four-day visit to China on July 16, making him the third senior official of the administration of US President Joe Biden to travel to China in recent weeks, after US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen.
During a meeting with Kerry in Beijing, Li underlined the importance of the two countries implementing the consensus reached by President Xi Jinping and Biden in Bali, Indonesia, last year. China and the US should properly manage their differences and bring bilateral ties back on track to sound and stable development at an early date, he said.
While developing countries should make their due contributions, developed nations should take the lead in reducing emissions and fulfill their financial commitments, Li said, calling for adherence to the principle of common but differentiated responsibilities.
The premier said developed countries should provide more technological support to developing nations to promote global transformation to green and low-carbon development.
Li expressed his hope that China and the US will continue to uphold the spirit of cooperation, respect each other’s core concerns and engage in full communication to seek common ground while reserving differences.
He also encouraged the two sides to explore more pragmatic mechanisms for cooperation, promote the multilateral climate governance process and ensure the full and effective implementation of the landmark 2015 Paris Agreement on climate change.
Kerry expressed Washington’s wish for a stable US-China relationship, saying that the US is willing to strengthen cooperation with China to jointly address climate change and other pressing global challenges.
Also on July 18, Wang Yi, director of the Office of the Foreign Affairs Commission of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, met with Kerry in Beijing.
Wang, who is also a member of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee, said China-US cooperation on climate change has great potential, but it requires understanding and support from the two peoples and also a good bilateral relationship.
It is hoped that the US will pursue a rational, pragmatic and positive China policy, continue to adhere to the one-China principle, properly handle the Taiwan question, and work with China by upholding mutual respect, peaceful coexistence and win-win cooperation, he added.
Noting that the US attaches great importance to stabilizing US-China relations, Kerry said the US is willing to make joint efforts with China to further improve bilateral relations for the benefit of the world.
He also said that the US always adheres to the one-China policy.
Meanwhile, an expert had expressed high hopes for climate-themed technological cooperation between China and the United States.
Liu Yanhua, honorary director of China’s national committee of experts on climate change, said on July 17 that there are solid foundations for Sino-US climate cooperation, as it is a consensus of the heads of state of the two nations.
He noted that four working groups set up by China and the US following a joint declaration in 2021 at the COP26 United Nations climate change conference in Glasgow, Scotland, were part of the foundation for their cooperation.
The four groups were established to leverage the respective strengths of the two sides for climate cooperation in various sectors, and they have already done some work, he said.
As the world’s largest carbon emitters and also the biggest producers of renewable energy, the two countries have much cooperation potential to tap into while promoting the global energy transition, Liu said.
Making full use of their respective strengths, China and the US can consider carrying out climate cooperation in a third-party country. Another potential cooperation area for the two sides is technologies for addressing climate change, he added.
Citing a report from the International Energy Agency in 2021, Liu said that in 2050, almost half the emission reductions will have to come from technologies that are now only at the demonstration or prototype phase, if the world wants to realize net-zero emissions by that time.
There are many problems to address as the world strives to tackle climate change. “No country can be immune from climate change. Neither can any single country address these problems by itself. Only via cooperation can we promote progress,” Liu said.
