Canadian environment minister becomes first to visit China in 4 years
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Steven Guilbeault hopes that both China and Canada can discuss a wide range of issues, such as climate change and cooperation.
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Steven Guilbeault, Minister of Environment and Climate Change for Canada speaks during a press conference at the COP26 U.N. Climate Summit in Glasgow, Scotland, Friday, Nov. 12, 2021 (AP)
Canadian Minister of Environment and Climate Change Steven Guilbeault's visit to China on Saturday marked him as the first minister to visit China in four years, to discuss climate change and biodiversity.
Experts believe this is a door to ease the China-Canada tensions, given that climate change has always been a window for cooperation between China and the West.
This comes as Guilbeault is scheduled to partake in the annual meeting of the China Council for International Cooperation on Environment and Development (CCICED) from August 28 to August 30, under the title of "Green Transition for High-Quality Development: Modernization in Harmony with Nature."
The CCICED is a high-level international advisory body, founded in 1992, to enhance cooperation between China and the international community on environment and sustainable development.
In light of this move, Canadian Ambassador to China Jennifer May showed gratitude to China for the efforts done for Guilbeault's visit for a meeting with Chinese Minister of Ecology and Environment Huang Runqiu on Friday, expressing that she is hopeful for extended cooperation in the field of environment and climate with China.
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A former advocate for environmental groups, Guilbeault said he hopes both nations can have honest conversations about a range of issues such as climate change, and find opportunities to cooperate, according to Reuters on Saturday.
Guilbeault voiced that the two issues he wants to bring up are methane emission reductions and a global renewable energy target, already being discussed before the UN climate change conference (UNFCCC) later this year.
Reuters further reported that Guilbeault intends to follow up on the results of the second part of the UN Convention on Biological Diversity's COP15, which was hosted in Montreal and presided over by China last year.
Skeptic steps
Citing experts, the Global Times said that cooperation between China and Canada will yield positive significance and lead an example to the world.
Ma Jun, director of the Beijing-based Institute of Public and Environmental Affairs, told the Global Times on Sunday that both nations are signatories to the Paris Agreement on Climate Change and that "as major countries in the traditional energy chain, the two countries have many prospects for cooperation in the field of energy transformation," adding: "The two countries can also further strengthen cooperation in technological innovation in renewable energy."
She brought up the fact that Canada has been a hotspot for wildfires, which has left an excessive amount of carbon emissions and encourages a common global response to climate change.
Xia Guohan, founder and director of Zonghengce Strategy Institute and Research Fellow of the Charter Institute think tank, told the Global Times that tackling the global carbon market could be an additional and potential common cooperation point, noting that Guilbeault's visit amid tensions signals a détente between both.
"Fighting climate change is one of the main areas where China and the West have generally been able to de-ideologize and reach cooperation, and a window of cooperation has always been open," he said.
China has been welcoming envoys recently, such as US climate envoy John Kerry in July, while major countries such as France and Germany have also dispatched climate representatives.
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"Climate cooperation could serve as a knock on the door to improve bilateral relations," Xia said, adding: "If a relevant cooperation agreement can be reached, then naturally, this can be used as an opportunity to upgrade cooperation and expand it to other areas."
Guilbeault's visit to China however is yielding skepticism that it will result in substantive cooperation, given Canada's limited potential to reduce emissions.
Xia argues that if Guilbeault demands China catalyze its "carbon peaking" and "carbon neutrality" in a condescending tone, the result could be counterproductive.
