Beijing; As the two nations look to resume high-level contacts, US climate envoy John Kerry stated to China's top diplomat on Tuesday that President Joe Biden's administration is "very committed" to stabilizing relations between the two largest economies in the world.
Kerry met with Wang Yi, the head of foreign relations for the country's ruling Communist Party, on his second day of talks in Beijing, and expressed to him Biden's hope that the two nations could "achieve efforts together that can make a significant difference to the world."
As a result of disagreements over tariffs, technology access, human rights, and China's threats against Taiwan's self-government, relations between the two countries have reached an all-time low.
In his opening remarks, Wang stated that although there had been a communication gap between the parties, China now believes that by starting up again, "we can find a proper solution to any problems."
Wang added that the conversation needed to be held on a "equal basis" and that "small problems can sometimes grow into big problems."
That seemed to be a reference to US criticism of China's assertive foreign policy, human rights violations against Muslim and Buddhist minorities, and travel bans on officials ranging from the defense minister of the nation to the Hong Kong leader appointed by Beijing.
To express its displeasure with then-House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's trip to Taiwan, China severed some mid- and high-level contacts with the Biden administration last August. These contacts included discussions of climate change. China claims the island as its own territory, threatening to involve the US in a major conflict in a vitally important area for the world economy. If necessary, China plans to take the island by force.
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In the past few weeks, Antony Blinken, the secretary of state, and Janet Yellen, the secretary of the Treasury, have both traveled to China for meetings with their counterparts. Kerry is the third senior Biden administration official to do the same.
Kerry expressed his gratitude for the chance to "change our relationship for the better" and noted that Biden is "very committed to stability within this relationship and also to achieve together efforts that can make a significant difference to the world."
Kerry stated that President Xi "looks forward to being able to move forward and change the dynamic," adding that President Xi "values his relationship with President Biden."
Later, Kerry paid a courtesy call on the second-ranking member of the party, newly appointed Premier Li Qiang, who advised him that China and the US should work together more closely to address the "extremely large challenge" posed by global warming. No date has been set for a meeting with Xi, and Qin Gang, China's foreign minister, has not been seen in public for three weeks.
China is the world's largest producer and consumer of coal. It has continued to construct new plants that release tons of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere every year and has increased its reliance on renewable energy sources like solar and wind power.
By 2030, China has promised to stabilize its carbon dioxide emissions, and by 2060, it will achieve carbon neutrality. China has been urged by the US and the EU to adopt more aggressive reduction goals.
China has experienced record-high temperatures that have threatened crops and prompted cities to open Cold War-era bomb shelters to provide residents with an escape from the heat, similar to what has happened in the US and Europe.
China has come under fire from US lawmakers for refusing to reduce climate-damaging fossil fuel emissions more drastically and for maintaining that because it is still developing and emits far less pollution per person than developed Western economies, it should be exempt from the climate standards set by those nations.
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When they were the vice presidents of their respective nations, Biden and Xi spent days together. They later met at the Group of 20 summit in Indonesia in November. However, since the COVID-19 outbreak, no state visits have taken place, and no plans have been made for their next in-person conference.
