Thursday, 2 September 2021 (YJC)_Chinese foreign minister tells US climate envoy cooperation on reducing emissions cannot be separated from the broader relationship.
Chinese foreign minister Wang Yi has warned US climate envoy John Kerry that deteriorating US-China relations could undermine cooperation between the two countries on climate change.
In a video link call on Wednesday, Wang told Kerry that such cooperation cannot be separated from the broader relationship and called on the US to take steps to improve ties, a foreign ministry statement said.
Kerry, who is in the Chinese city of Tianjin for climate talks with his Chinese counterparts, said the US is committed to cooperating with the rest of the world on climate and encouraged China to take additional steps to reduce emissions, the US state department said.
Kerry, a former secretary of state, also said that China “plays a super-critical role” in the effort to combat climate change, according to a brief video clip from the meeting shown on CGTN, the international arm of state broadcaster CCTV.
China is the world’s largest emitter of greenhouse gases, followed by the US.
Relations between Washington and Beijing have been strained by disputes over trade, technology and human rights. But the sides have identified the climate crisis as an area for possible cooperation.
“China and the US have differences on some issues. In the meantime, we share common interests in a range of areas such as climate change,” Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin said at a daily briefing on Wednesday.
“Both sides should maintain dialogue and communication on the basis of mutual respect and carry out mutually beneficial cooperation,” Wang said.
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