Wang Yi Meets with U.S. Special Presidential Envoy for Climate John Kerry via Video Link at Request

On September 1, 2021, State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi met with U.S. Special Presidential Envoy for Climate John Kerry who is in Tianjin for the China-U.S. negotiations on climate change via video link at the latter's request.

Wang Yi said, for China and the United States, as two major countries in the world, cooperation is the only right choice and the keen expectation of the international community. The two countries had carried out fruitful dialogue and cooperation bilaterally and on major international and regional issues including climate change, delivering tangible benefits to the two countries and two peoples, as well as important enlightenment: the two countries should respect each other and seek common ground while shelving differences so as to reach win-win results.

Wang Yi said, in recent years, China-U.S. relations have taken a sharp turn for the worse and are facing serious difficulties. The main reason is that the United States has made a major strategic miscalculation about China. As a Chinese saying goes, "He who tied the bell should untie it." The ball now is in the U.S. court. The United States should stop viewing China as a threat and rival, and cease containing and suppressing China all over the world; the United States should attach importance to and actively respond to the "two lists" and "three bottom lines" put forward by China, and take concrete steps to improve China-U.S. relations, rather than adding new problems to the old ones; the United States should carry out coordination and cooperation at bilateral, regional and global levels, based on the principles of mutual respect, equality and mutual benefit, instead of one-way traffic.

Wang Yi said, China-U.S. cooperation on climate change not only serves the interests of both sides, but also benefits all mankind, which enjoys broad prospects for development. The U.S. side wants the climate change cooperation to be an "oasis" of China-U.S. relations. However, if the oasis is all surrounded by deserts, then sooner or later, the "oasis" will be desertified. China-U.S. cooperation on climate change cannot be divorced from the overall situation of China-U.S. relations. The United States should work with China to meet each other halfway and take positive actions to bring China-U.S. relations back on track.

Kerry said, U.S.-China cooperation is of vital importance for responding to the pressing challenge of climate change. The United States is willing to work with China to respect each other, enhance communication and dialogue, jointly improve ambitions, demonstrate both sides' leadership, set an example for meeting the Paris Agreement goals, and also create opportunities for addressing difficulties facing U.S.-China relations.