COP 27: China and US held ‘constructive’ climate talks with more to follow, Beijing’s envoy says
- Climate ambassadors Xie Zhenhua and John Kerry meet at the UN-led global summit in Egypt as bilateral talks resume following rift over Taiwan
- COP27 closes with historic agreement on ‘loss and damage’ fund for poorer countries, but finer details remain up in the air
“Discussions between China and the US … [were] very candid, friendly, active and positive, and very constructive,” Xie said, according to Chinese state broadcaster CCTV.
Restart of US-China climate dialogue a step in the right direction: analysts
This came as the nearly 200 nations at COP27 reached a hard-fought, last-minute deal to set up a “loss and damage” fund for poorer countries battling extreme weather, caused by decades of carbon pollution from the developed world.
The summit in the Red Sea resort town of Sharm el-Sheikh took place against the backdrop of a global energy crisis caused by the Russian invasion of Ukraine, growing risks of economic recession, and lingering tensions between China and the US – the world’s top two producers of greenhouse gases.
Beijing views self-governed Taiwan as breakaway territory to be reunited by force if necessary. The US, like most countries, does not see Taiwan as an independent state but is opposed to any change of the status quo by force.
Meeting the press in Sharm el-Sheikh on Saturday, Xie said there was still much to be discussed between the two countries, and the results of the latest talks could only be announced after both sides had discussed them further.
“We agreed today that, after the [COP27] conference, we will continue to have formal conversations, even face-to-face ones,” he said.
Bilateral exchanges in Egypt were cut short, however, as Kerry tested positive for Covid-19 on Friday and had to finish his COP27 work in isolation.
While the two-week summit closed on Sunday with the historic “loss and damage” deal for less-polluting nations facing climate crisis, some sticking points – such as which countries should pay into the fund – were left untouched and pending further discussion.
COP27 applauds historic ‘loss and damage’ fund, but dismayed with emissions deal
Delegates also failed to reach any new agreement on further addressing fossil fuels, the main cause of global warming.
“The recipient should be the developing countries, but the funding should go to those that need it first,” he said.
The US has sought to have China labelled as a developed economy and therefore eligible to pay into the UN climate reparations fund.
Additional reporting by Reuters