Beijing – This week, Chinese climate envoy Liu Zhenmin traveled to Washington to meet US climate envoy John Podesta in a short round of talks, the first between the two since they each assumed the role, previously held by Xie Zhenhua and John Kerry, respectively.
Greenpeace East Asia Beijing-based global policy advisor Yao Zhe (she/her) said:
“Amid difficult geopolitics, Liu and Podesta met on a narrow spit of common ground hollowed out by their predecessors. That space to meet now and move forward will prove to be Xie and Kerry’s greatest legacy. This first face-to-face meeting between the two new envoys shows that they don’t take the opportunity lightly.
“Both envoys showed awareness of their heavy task, recalling past commitments and areas to work together going forward. However, the meeting did not result in concrete actions at this stage.
“Next year, countries need to present new climate plans for 2030 and 2035. The US and China like to compete. But can this competition achieve something? Whether the pair can again strengthen climate leadership and push each other to do more, especially on phasing out fossil fuel, is the first of a few big questions they will have to answer in their time.
“As trade and climate talks get increasingly intertwined, climate cooperation faces higher risks of becoming a casualty in the battle for industrial competitiveness. Preventing this should also be a priority for both climate envoys.
“It is now crystal clear that the net-zero transition is an economic opportunity. As the world’s largest economies, both the US and China must ensure that these opportunities are not exclusive. The global energy transition can only gain momentum with widespread, affordable tools to transition.”
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Qilin Liu, Greenpeace East Asia, Beijing, ([email protected])
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