China’s top climate diplomat reappointed as special envoy in ‘tailored move towards the US’
- Xie Zhenhua has been involved in climate negotiations, including the Paris Agreement, for over a decade
- Analyst sees it as ‘an effort to ensure the diplomatic channels are there’ with America
Xu Huaqing, director of the National Centre for Climate Change Strategy and International Cooperation, said on messaging app WeChat on Thursday that Xie would return as special envoy on climate change.
The appointment, which has not been officially announced, was also confirmed by a person familiar with the matter. The Ministry of Ecology and Environment did not respond to a faxed request for comment on Thursday.
“This is clearly a tailored move towards the US, an effort to ensure the diplomatic channels are there,” said Li Shuo, senior global policy adviser for Greenpeace East Asia.
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“With Xie’s experience and contacts, his appointment will at least help to reduce the transactional cost in China’s climate diplomacy,” he said. “The bottom line for solving the climate problem is that the two biggest emitters in the world need to talk, if not hold each other’s hand.”