Climate change offers US and China a chance to cooperate. Will they take it?
- Beijing is believed to be willing to participate in a summit that Joe Biden is reportedly planning for Earth Day in April
- But observers believe it may be asked to do more to cut emissions by providing funds and technology to other countries
China could offer to transfer technology and give financial help to poor countries in a joint effort to fight climate change with the US, Chinese observers have said.
Beijing is willing to attend a summit on climate change if invited by the US and will take the opportunity to improve relations with the US and portray itself as a responsible player, observers said, but they believe it may be challenged to take more action to cut emissions.
“China can make concrete commitments at the summit, pledging to become carbon neutral by 2060, to transfer environmental protection technology – even freely sharing with nations lagging behind – and jointly allocate funds and resources with the US to help poor countries with carbon reduction and assist those already affected by climate change,” said Song Luzheng, an international relations researcher at Fudan University.
China announced in September that it aimed to reach peak emissions by 2035 and to become carbon neutral by 2060. However, it has not yet released detailed plans, and may need global cooperation and a technological breakthrough to succeed.
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Song said China also wants the US and EU to share their advanced green technology, and is willing to pay for it, but their reluctance to do so “is selfish and contradictory”.