John Kerry, the special presidential envoy for climate, is scheduled to visit Beijing from July 16 to 19, according to announcements from both the U.S. and China. This will mark the third time in a month that a high-level U.S. official has traveled to China for talks.
During his visit, Kerry aims to engage with Chinese officials on addressing the climate crisis, including increasing implementation and ambition, as well as promoting a successful COP28. The meetings with Chinese officials come after a resumption of in-person communication that was disrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic and geopolitical tensions.
This recent series of visits began with Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen’s four-day trip to Beijing, followed by Secretary of State Antony Blinken’s visit in late June. However, despite these talks, concrete actions have yet to materialize.
Blinken’s trip led to a general agreement on increasing flights between the U.S. and China, but failed to reinstate military-to-military communication. Blinken emphasized the importance of avoiding miscalculations, especially in the military realm, stating that discussions on these issues will continue.
The U.S. and China have acknowledged the possibility of cooperation on climate and the macroeconomy. However, climate talks were briefly suspended after U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s visit to Taiwan in August, which angered Beijing.
After the meeting between President Joe Biden and Chinese President Xi Jinping in November, communication on climate issues between the two countries resumed. China’s special climate envoy, Xie Zhenhua, attended a virtual meeting of the U.S.-led Major Economies Forum on Energy and Climate in April and also participated in a U.S.-led event at COP 27 in Egypt in November.
The upcoming trip by John Kerry has not specified which Chinese officials he will meet. The discussions are expected to focus on cooperation in tackling climate change, considering the recent heatwaves and extreme weather events both China and the U.S. have been experiencing.
The average national temperature in China in June was 0.7 degrees Celsius (33 degrees Fahrenheit) higher than a year ago, the second-hottest for the month since 1961, according to the China Meteorological Administration. Beijing and other regions in China have also been facing high temperatures and heavy rainfall, while wildfires in Canada due to record heat and drought have led to smoky air over U.S. cities.
John Kerry, who served as secretary of State during the Obama administration, became the special presidential envoy for climate in 2021 upon the inauguration of President Joe Biden.
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