BEIJING—US climate envoy John Kerry said Tuesday that global warming represented a “threat to all of humankind” and required “global leadership” as he met Chinese officials in Beijing.
“Climate, as you know, is a global issue, not a bilateral issue. It’s a threat to all of humankind,” Kerry told China’s top diplomat Wang Yi, stressing it was “a matter of global leadership.”
“We’re very hopeful that this can be the beginning not just of a conversation between you and me and us on the climate track, but that we can begin to change the broader relationship, the world really hopes for that and needs it,” he added.
On fraught China-US ties more broadly, Kerry underlined that President Joe Biden was “very committed to stability within this relationship, but also to achieve efforts together that can make a significant difference to the world.”
“The president is very intent, he values his relationship with President Xi (Jinping) and I think President Xi values his relationship with President Biden, and I know he looks forward to being able to move forward and change the dynamics,” he said.
“Our hope is now that this can be the beginning of a new definition of cooperation and of capacity to resolve the differences between us,” he added, noting that “we both know there are real differences”.
“But we also know from experience that if we work at it, we can find the path ahead and ways that resolve these challenges.”
Kerry met China’s Wang at Beijing’s Great Hall of the People on the third day of a visit to China that ends on Wednesday. The two shook hands and exchanged opening remarks before beginning a meeting, the AFP journalist present said.
Kerry, a former secretary of state, has enjoyed comparatively cordial and consistent relations with China despite Washington and Beijing locking horns over Taiwan and other issues.
He met his Chinese counterpart Xie Zhenhua in Beijing on Monday, with the two men speaking for around four hours, state broadcaster CCTV said.
Both countries “must take urgent action on a number of fronts, especially the challenges of coal and methane pollution,” Kerry wrote in a tweet after the talks.
“The climate crisis demands that the world’s two largest economies work together to limit the Earth’s warming,” he added.
Beijing said after the talks that “climate change is a common challenge faced by all mankind”.
China would “exchange views with the United States on issues related to climate change, and work together to meet challenges and improve the well-being of current and future generations”, foreign ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said.