US special envoy John Kerry arrives in China for climate change talks

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: Agencies
16 Jul 2023 13:19

John Kerry is the third US official to visit China in two months.

US Special Presidential Envoy for Climate John Kerry testifies during a House Oversight and Accountability Subcommittee hearing on "The State Department's Climate Agenda: A Budget Overview by the Special Presidential Envoy for Climate," on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC, United States, July 13, 2023. (AFP)

US Special Presidential Envoy for Climate, John Kerry, arrived in China to restart interrupted climate change talks between Washington and Beijing, Chinese state media reported on Sunday.

"China and the United States will have an in-depth exchange of views" on climate change, China Central Television (CCTV) revealed.

The US special envoy will meet with his Chinese counterpart Xie Zhenhua after discussions were stalled due to the US encroachment of the One China policy, when then speaker of the US House of Representatives, Nancy Pelosi, visited Taiwan last year.

"During meetings with PRC [People's Republic of China] officials, Secretary Kerry aims to engage with the PRC on addressing the climate crisis, including with respect to increasing implementation and ambition and promoting a successful COP28," a statement from the US State Department read, as it referenced the COP28 UN climate talks in November.

The United Arab Emirates is set to host more than 200 countries as the world's leaders attempt to put an end to the dangerous fluctuation in global temperatures.

Kerry enjoys cordial and consistent relations with China, despite tensions between the two countries' administrations, according to AFP.

This marks the special envoy's third trip to China under his current title and follows high-level visits made by Secretary of State Anthony Blinken and y US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen, which came as the US tries to restore ties with Beijing.