Xi, Modi among 40 leaders at Biden-led climate summit starting on Thursday
It will be the first appearance of Chinese President Xi Jinping and Joe Biden in the same event after the latter became US President in January
China’s President Xi Jinping will attend a US-led climate summit on Thursday, boosting hopes of cooperation between the world’s two largest greenhouse gas emitters even as they bicker over a host of diplomatic, trade and human rights issues.
Xi is among 40 world leaders, including Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Russian President Vladimir Putin, invited by US President Joe Biden to attend the two-day virtual event.
Xi’s confirmation comes days after John Kerry, US special envoy on climate change, held talks with his Chinese counterpart, Xie Zhenhua, in Shanghai.
Xi, at the invitation of the US, will attend the summit via video and will deliver an “important” speech, said Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson, Wang Wenbin, on Wednesday.
It will be the first appearance of Xi and Biden in the same event after the latter became US president in January.
The announcement of Xi’s attendance was made a day after he made veiled references to the US-led West in a speech delivered virtually at an economic forum, rejecting what he called hegemonic powers in global governance and saying there should be no “bossing” and “meddling” in other countries.
Xi’s critical tone was a continuation from Alaska last month where a high-level meeting of diplomats from the two countries – the first such meeting since Biden took over -- was marked with rancour and retorts.
But the two countries have discovered a patch of common ground on tackling the climate crisis.
Last week in Shanghai, Kerry and Xie agreed on concrete actions “in the 2020s” to reduce emissions.
The talks also marked a resumption of dialogue on climate halted during the Donald Trump administration, who had withdrawn the US from the Paris Agreement. Later, Biden put America back into the accord.
“Moving forward, China and the US are firmly committed to working together and with other parties to strengthen implementation of the Paris Agreement,” a joint statement issued after the Xie-Kerry talks had said.
“The Leaders’ Summit on Climate will underscore the urgency – and the economic benefits – of stronger climate action. It will be a key milestone on the road to the United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP26) this November in Glasgow,” a statement from the White House had said earlier.
On Wednesday, Wang said, “China expects that this summit will provide a platform for global cooperation to address climate change challenges, promote the full and effective implementation of the Paris Agreement, and provide a useful platform for exchanges and cooperation to jointly promote global climate and environmental governance.”
