US local weather envoy John Kerry (L) gestures as he speaks subsequent to China’s particular local weather envoy Xie Zhenhua (R) throughout a session on the World Financial Discussion board annual assembly in Davos on Might 24, 2022.
Fabrice Coffrini | Afp | Getty Photos
BEIJING — John Kerry, particular presidential envoy for local weather, is about to go to Beijing from July 16 to 19, in accordance with bulletins from the U.S. and China.
“Throughout conferences with [People’s Republic of China] officers, Secretary Kerry goals to have interaction with the PRC on addressing the local weather disaster, together with with respect to growing implementation and ambition and selling a profitable COP28,” the U.S. State Division mentioned in a press release.
Kerry’s journey will mark the third time in a month {that a} high-level U.S. official has traveled to China for talks.
Though the conferences have but to yield particular motion, they mark a resumption of in-person communication that fell off because of the pandemic and geopolitical tensions.
Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen ended a four-day journey to Beijing on Sunday. Secretary of State Antony Blinken visited Beijing in late June, months after he was initially scheduled to journey there in February.
Blinken postponed his preliminary plans after information of an alleged Chinese language spy balloon over U.S. airspace. Beijing claims it was a climate balloon that blew off track.
Whereas Blinken’s journey to China led to a basic settlement on the necessity to improve flights between the 2 international locations, the secretary of State mentioned he did not reinstate military-to-military communication.
“It is clearly within the curiosity of each international locations to keep away from any type of miscalculations, particularly navy,” Blinken mentioned in an interview Tuesday with MSNBC’s Andrea Mitchell, in accordance with a State Division transcript. “In order that’s one thing we’ll proceed to search for.”
Blinken added the “prolonged discussions” he and Yellen had lined the place the U.S. and China have “deep variations,” in addition to areas of cooperation. “That is going to proceed,” he mentioned.
An space of cooperation
The U.S. and China have famous they’ll cooperate on local weather and the macroeconomy. Local weather talks have been suspended after then-U.S. Home Speaker Nancy Pelosi visited Taiwan in August. Her journey had angered Beijing, which considers the democratically self-ruled island a part of its territory.
After U.S. President Joe Biden and Chinese language President Xi Jinping met in particular person in November, the 2 international locations resumed communication on local weather points.
Xie Zhenhua, China’s particular local weather envoy, in April attended a digital assembly of the U.S.-led Main Economies Discussion board on Power and Local weather, in accordance with a White Home readout. Xie additionally attended a U.S.-led occasion at COP 27 in Egypt in November, Kerry mentioned in a readout.
Concerning his upcoming journey to Beijing, the U.S. and China didn’t specify which Chinese language officers Kerry would meet.
The 2 sides are set to “alternate views on cooperation for tackling local weather change,” China’s Ministry of Ecology and Setting mentioned in a press release.
Rising international temperatures
The common nationwide temperature in June was 0.7 levels Celsius (33 levels Fahrenheit) greater than a 12 months in the past — and the second-hottest for the month going again to 1961, in accordance with the China Meteorological Administration.
Each day temperature highs in Beijing have neared 37.8 levels Celsius (100 levels Fahrenheit) or extra for the previous few weeks. Completely different elements of the nation have additionally seen heavy rainfall or warned of flash floods.
In the meantime, wildfires in Canada resulting from file warmth and drought have despatched smoky air over New York and different U.S. cities.
Kerry, secretary of State throughout the Obama administration, grew to become particular presidential envoy for local weather in 2021 when Biden was inaugurated.
Disclosure: NBCUniversal is the mother or father firm of MSNBC and CNBC.
