Kerry asks China to separate climate from politics

Climate change is a “universal threat” that must be handled separately from broader diplomatic issues, US climate envoy John Kerry told Chinese Vice President Han Zheng on Wednesday after two days of what he called constructive but complex conversations.

Acknowledging the diplomatic difficulties between the two sides in recent years, Kerry said the climate should be treated as a “standalone” challenge that requires the collective efforts of the world’s largest economies to resolve.

“We have the ability to… make a difference on the climate,” he told a meeting in Beijing’s Great Hall of the People, China’s sprawling parliament building.

Kerry arrived in Beijing on Sunday as heat waves raged in parts of Europe, Asia and the US, underscoring the need for governments to take drastic measures to cut carbon emissions, which contribute to global warming and extreme weather events.

The envoy has held meetings with China’s top diplomat Wang Yi and Premier Li Qiang, as well as veteran climate envoy Xie Zhenhua, in a bid to rebuild trust between the two sides ahead of the COP28 climate talks in Dubai at the end of the year.

“If we can come together over the next few months leading up to COP28, which will be the biggest since Paris, we will have a chance to make a profound difference on this issue,” he told Han.

Han said the two countries have maintained close communication and dialogue on climate since Kerry’s appointment as envoy, adding that a joint statement issued by the two sides has sent a “positive signal” to the world.

Kerry told reporters earlier that his talks with Chinese officials this week have been constructive but complicated, with the two sides still grappling with political “externalities,” including Taiwan.

“We’re just reconnecting,” he said. “We are trying to restore the process that we have worked on for years.”

“We are trying to make a very clear path to the COP so that we can cooperate and work as we have wanted with all the externalities,” Kerry said.

Climate diplomacy between the world’s top two emitters was suspended in August last year following a visit by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi to Taiwan, a democratically governed island claimed by China.

“The mood is very, very positive,” Kerry said before the meetings on Wednesday. “We had a fabulous dinner last night. We had a lot of back and forth. It’s really constructive.”

“We are focused on the essence of what we can really work for and what we can make happen.”

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