America and China are talking again about climate change
Political tensions will hamper dialogue, but could their rivalry have benefits?
Consensus is rare in UN climate negotiations, but most parties agree on one point. China and America—the two biggest carbon emitters—must talk. So there was understandable relief when, midway through this year’s conference in an Egyptian resort, the two countries agreed to resume a climate-change dialogue that had been frozen since August. Three days later America’s climate envoy, John Kerry, invited his Chinese counterpart, Xie Zhenhua, to gatecrash a meeting with the European Union on methane, welcoming him on stage as “a friend of mine”. The 70 or so ministers in the room burst into applause.
This article appeared in the China section of the print edition under the headline “The road to co-operation”
From the November 26th 2022 edition
Discover stories from this section and more in the list of contents
Explore the editionMore from China
A pay rise for government workers sparks anger and envy in China
The effort to improve morale has not had the intended effect
A big earthquake causes destruction in Tibet
Dozens are dead, thousands of buildings have been destroyed
Militant Uyghurs in Syria threaten the Chinese government
How much does China have to fear?
Does China have the fiscal firepower to rescue its economy?
There is a fierce debate over whether it can afford to keep spending
China approves the world’s most expensive infrastructure project
It has China’s neighbours on edge
Xi Jinping has much to worry about in 2025
A struggling economy, rising social tensions and Donald Trump will test China’s leader