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china briefing
CHINA POLICY
16 September 202115:41

China Briefing, 16 September 2021: Xi and Biden discuss climate; Johnson’s ‘last-ditch’ talks with Xi; Advice for China’s carbon goals

Carbon Brief Staff

16.09.2021 | 3:41pm
China Policy China Briefing, 16 September 2021: Xi and Biden discuss climate; Johnson’s ‘last-ditch’ talks with Xi; Advice for China’s carbon goals

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We handpick and explain the most important climate and energy stories from China over the past seven days.

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Snapshot

Chinese president Xi JinpingandUS president Joe Bidentalked about climate change last week in their first call in seven months. The conversation came just a week after John Kerry, Biden’s special envoy on climate, concluded his trip to Tianjin for a new round of climate diplomacy with his Chinese counterpart and senior officials.

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Meanwhile, UK prime minister Boris Johnson is planning“last-ditch” climate talkswith Xi in the hope of “breaking the global impasse on climate action” ahead ofCOP26,Guardianreported. Just last week, Alok Sharma, president-designate for COP26, was in China for meetings to ensure a successful outcome of the climate summit.

Elsewhere, an advisory body chaired by China’s vice-premier has advised China toimpose an absolute capon its carbon emissions during the 2021 to 2025 period to help meet its climate targets,Reutersreported. China currently uses emission intensity – the volume of emissions per unit of GDP – in its targets for carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions.

Key developments

n discuss climate change during call

WHAT:n talked about climate change on the phone last week in their first conversationsince February. Xi “elaborated on” China’s position on climate change and other key issues to Biden, atranscriptfrom the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs said. Areadoutof the call from the White House did not specify climate change as a topic. But White House press secretary Jen Psakitold journaliststhat “climate…as well as a number of topics were discussed”, adding “the COP summit [COP26] is the next big moment for the international community on that front”. The call lasted “about 90 minutes”, Psaki said.

WHEN:The Xi-Biden call took place last Friday Beijing time (Thursday US time). It came a week after Biden’s climate envoy, Kerry, finished his three-day visit to Tianjin, during which he met with his Chinese counterpart, Xie Zhenhua, and a range of senior officials. Wang Yi, China’s foreign minister,told克里,是“不可能”单独的climate issues from overall China-US ties – a direction the Biden administrationhad sought. The two sides reportedly “failed to reach agreement“. (Read more about Kerry’s visit inthis China Briefingfrom earlier this month).

Xi’S MESSAGES:On the topic of climate change, Xi “stressed that China continues to prioritise ecological conservation and pursues a green and low-carbon path to development”, according to the Chinese transcript. Xi also said, “[o]n the basis of respecting each other’s core concerns and properly managing differences”, the two countries “may continue their engagement and dialogue to advance coordination and cooperation” on climate change and other important issues, the transcript showed.

STATE MEDIA:A comment piece fromChina News Serviceunderlined that Xi had “provided answers” to “the question of the century” that is Sino-China relationship. It highlighted that climate change must not be treated as a standalone issue.Xinhua Daily Telegraphreported that there were “three keywords” from the call. One of them was “respect” as it was the “basic precondition” of any potential China-US collaboration, it said. Global Timesreportedthat, according to “analysis”, China and the US “will likely have substantive discussion” over issues including the climate. It added: “But [as to] whether or not a consensus will be reached, the key will depend on if the US touches the ‘three bottom lines’ China has raised previously.” (The “three bottom lines” are “three basic demands” China has given to the US to push forward their relations.This releasefrom the Chinese foreign ministry has explained what they are.)

US COVERAGE:TheNew York Timesreported that the Biden administration’s officials had given “remarkably few details from the call”. But it said that Biden emphasised “the need to mitigate climate change” to Xi, citing “officials”.Los Angeles Timeswrote: “The White House is hopeful the two sides can work together on issues of mutual concern – including climate change and preventing a nuclear crisis on the Korean Peninsula – despite growing differences”.CNBC,CNNand theWashington Postreported that Xi named climate change to Biden as one of the areas of possible cooperation. All three outlets cited Chinese state media.Bloombergsaid that Biden urged Xi “to make a distinction between issues for cooperation like climate change and those for competition like human rights and trade”.

WHY IT MATTERS:“Every solution to climate change goes through Washington and Beijing. Without either country’s substantial commitment, we are not going to reach our global climate targets,”Michael Davidson, an assistant professor in theSchool of Global Policy and Strategyand theMechanical and Aerospace Engineering Departmentat theUniversity of California, San Diego, told Carbon Brief. He said that due to ongoing political tensions, “we should not expect an immediate return [of the two countries’ relations] to the more cooperative approaches between Obama and Xi, even on climate change”. But he added: “I still remain hopeful that with softer rhetoric from both sides, traditional areas of climate change cooperation will be rekindled…and enhanced, high-level exchanges on cleantech trade and confidence-building measures on the credibility of each other’s long-term commitments can take place.”

Johnson plans ‘last-ditch’ climate talks with Xi, report says

WHAT:Boris Johnson “is planning to convene last-ditch climate talks” with Xi at “a crunch meeting of world leaders” next week, theGuardian上周五发表在一个“独家”。invited to the meeting on the sidelines of the76th session of the UN General Assembly(UNGA76), according to the newspaper. At last year’s UN General Assembly, Xipledgedthat China would achieve “carbon neutrality” before 2060.

WHEN:The Guardian said that the meeting would take place on 20 September in the hope of “breaking the global impasse on climate action” ahead of COP26. It noted that the meeting would be attended by leaders from around 30 countries and co-hosted by António Guterres, the UN secretary general. Guterrestold journalistslast Friday: “[O]ne of the reasons I’m convening…a summit…is exactly to make an effort to build trust…before COP26.”

UNGA76:Bernice Lee, research director at Chatham House, a London-based thinktank focused on international affairs, told Carbon Brief: “President Xi made an important announcement last year during UNGA, which provided a much-needed boost to global climate diplomacy. This is why we should watch [this year’s assembly] to see if he would use the occasion to make another groundbreaking announcement ahead of G20 and COP26.” (Xi has not left China for the assembly, as of writing. It remains unclear whether he would make a video speech.) Lee added: “Even though it is not clear [if] China will amend the 30/60 target in the short term, we will likely hear more policy detail, the meat on the bone, in terms of how China intends to implement the 30/60 commitment in the coming weeks before COP26.’

WHO:Johnson has personally invited Xi to come to COP26, according to a以前的报告.Bloombergreported last Thursday that Xi – who has not left China for more than 600 days – had not confirmed his attendance, citing a “senior European diplomat”. Last Wednesday, a UK government spokeswoman said that COP26’s Covid-secure efforts “create space that Xi Jinping could come”, adding that “we will find out shortly”.

WHY IT MATTERS:“China’s attendance and pro-active and ambitious engagement” would be one of the biggest determinants of a successful COP26, according to anarticlefrom the British Foreign Policy Group, a London-based thinktank.Jennifer Morgan,executive director of Greenpeace International, expressed similar opinions. She told theGuardianthat China was crucial to hopes of success at COP26. At the end of his China visit, Sharma also said that “the choices that China makes, on their energy mix, and on coal specifically, will shape our shared future”. However, Reutersreportedthat China’s tough stance during recent climate talks with the US and UK “may undermine progress” at the Glasgow summit, according to experts.Li Shuo, senior climate and energy policy officer at Greenpeace East Asia, told the newswire: “Amid all the uncertainties, one thing has become clear – Beijing will not give in to foreign powers.”

Other news

ABSOLUTE CAP:The China Council for International Cooperation on Environment and Development (CCICED), a government-approved advisory body, said that China needed to establish mechanisms to control absolute emission levels and impose caps on individual provinces and industries, according toReuters. CCICED is chaired by Han Zheng, China’s vice-premier, according to itswebsite. The advice was among a list of recommendations published by the organisation last Thursday, Reuters added.

OVERSEAS COAL:A research report suggested that China’sBelt and Road Initiativeshould put coal-mining projects and coal-fired power plants on an “elimination list” and “gradually stop such overseas investment projects”. The report was published by a forum run by CCICED last Wednesday.Southern Metropolis Daily, a subsidiary of the state-run Nanfang Daily Newspaper Group, reported the story. It came as reports saidE3G, a climate change thinktank, and “an allianceof 35 non-governmental organisations” had also urged Chinese authorities to stop financing cross-border coal projects.

XI:The Chinese president inspected a state-owned chemical company in Yulin, a city in the northern province of Shaanxi, to learn about the “comprehensive utilisation of coal” on Monday morning. He instructed officials and workers that the energy industry “must continue to develop” to “support the country’s modernisation”. Xi directed them to “transform and upgrade” its coal and energy development “to walk the green, low-carbon developmental path”.Xinhuareported the story.CCTVaired a clip of Xi’s speech.

PANDA POWER:A sprawling “panda-shaped” solar plant in Shanxi province can now generate enough electricity for more than 100,000 people for a year,Xinhuareported. The calculation is based on China’s per-capita electricity consumption last year, which was 780 kilowatt hours, the state newswire said. The plant’s solar panels are carefully arranged to show the image of two giant pandas while viewed from above.

EXTREME WEATHER:A paper has assessed the relationship between the roofs of traditional Chinese architecture and extreme snow events over the past 1,000 years. The study analysed preserved roofs built during 750 and 1750 and compared the results with weather data from the same millennium. They found that in periods with increased extreme snow events, steeper roofs were built, while warmer eras led to more gently sloping roofs. TheConversation, China’sScience TimesandSixth Tonefeatured the study.

NEV:Both the production and sales of “new energy” vehicles (NEVs) tripled in China from January to August this year, compared to the same period last year. The two figures stood at 1,813,000 and 1,799,000, in order. Xiao Yaqing, the minister of industry and information technology, gave the information at apress conferenceon Monday. In the first eight months of 2020,602,000 and 596,000NEVs were produced and sold, respectively, in the country.

PRICE SURGE:The thermal coal price is “nearing a record high” due to “surging demand” in China and India, Nikkei Asiareported. The Japan-based outlet said that the spike in demand “collides with a reluctance to invest in new capacity”. The news came after a Chinese province reopened dozens of mines – which had been ordered to halt their operation due to land-use violations – to boost coal production and cool coal prices. China Briefing from 26 Augustexplained more.

POLICY:Xie Zhenhua, China’s special envoy on climate, introduced the ideas and content of the country’s upcoming top-level climate action plan for the first time at a forum on Saturday, reportedYicai. The plan, known as the “1+N” policy system, will use emissions reduction as its “strategic direction” to promote “a synergy of pollution reduction and carbon reduction” and “a comprehensive green transformation of economic and social development”, Xie said, according to the report.

Extra reading

New science

Growing threats from unprecedented sequential flood-hot extremes across China
Geophysical Research Letters

一项新的研究发现,连续“flood-hot”extremes will become more likely in China as the climate warms. The study added that “historically unprecedented sequential extremes could originate from a sequence of relatively moderate floods and hot extremes in the same week”.Dr Chen Yangfrom theChinese Academy of Meteorological Sciencesis the corresponding author of the paper. He told Carbon Brief: “In the past, these two types of extremes have been extensively investigated individually. As the climate warms, however, they could [collide] in an unexpected way.” He added: “So we need to foresee their potential connection, even coincidentally, in amplifying the associated hazards and risks and to better prepare for the future.”

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