China Retorts US Criticism of Jinping COP26 Absence
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After China did not attend COP26, the United States accused it of 'not showing leadership,' which prompted a riposte from Beijing.
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Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Wang Wenbin attends a news conference in Beijing, China December 14, 2020 | Reuters
China retaliated Wednesday against criticism made by US President Joe Biden against Beijing's Jinping over not attending the COP26 climate summit held in Glasgow.
Biden accused Beijing of not showing leadership over its absence from the summit. He also criticized Russian President Vladimir Putin for not attending the Glasgow summit.
"It just is a gigantic issue and they walked away. How do you do that and claim to be able to have any leadership?" Biden told journalists before leaving Glasgow.
"It's been a big mistake, quite frankly, for China not showing up. The rest of the world looked at China and said: 'What value are they providing?'" Biden continued.
"Actions speak louder than words," Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Wang Wenbin responded to Washington's reproval.
The Chinese official berated the United States' criticism and said, "What we need in order to deal with climate change is concrete action rather than empty words."
"China's actions in response to climate change are real," the diplomat asserted.
Wenbin sneered at Washington by reminding that the US pulled out of the Paris Agreement under the Trump administration, reiterating how that move impaired global climate governance and the implementation of the accord.
The Tuesday summit has been labeled 'vital' for the continued viability of the Trump-harmed Paris Agreement, under which states had pledged to limit global temperature rises to "well below" 2°C and to work for a safer 1.5°C limit.
However, in a report issued ten days before the COP26 climate summit, the UN Environment Programme said government fossil fuel production plans this decade were "dangerously out of sync" with the emission cuts needed.
"Governments' planned coal production will vastly exceed global levels consistent with limiting warming to 1.5°C — by 240% in 2030 and by 450% in 2040," said the report.
