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US-China relations
ChinaDiplomacy

China’s decision to halt climate change cooperation with US over Taiwan row sparks questions over how low relations can fall

  • The two sides had previously highlighted the fight against global warming and drug trafficking as areas where they could still work together
  • One observer warns relations are now ‘worse than the Trump era’ following Nancy Pelosi’s visit to Taiwan

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Officials on both sides had identified climate as an area where they could continue to cooperate. Photo: AP
Echo Xie
China’s decision to suspend cooperation with the United States on issues such as climate change and drug trafficking after Nancy Pelosi’s visit to Taiwan has raised questions about how long the situation will drag on and whether things can get worse.
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Officials from both sides have previously cited climate change and narcotics as examples of how they could try to work together despite confrontations in almost every other sphere, ranging from trade and the South China Sea to Xinjiang and Hong Kong.

The suspension of climate talks comes after a phone call between Presidents Joe Biden and Xi Jinping last week, when they tasked their teams to follow up on work to tackle climate change despite rising tensions in other areas.

Zhu Feng, an international relations specialist from Nanjing University, said: “It is definitely not good news for improving and stabilising China-US relations. The two Presidents just talked on July 28 and stressed the need to facilitate a dialogue mechanism between their working teams.

“Because China-US cooperation is very important not only for bilateral relations but also for global issues such as emissions reduction.”

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He said he thought it was unlikely that these countermeasures would last long, adding: “It’s China’s angry response, but I don’t think it will last too long or China-US relations will keep deteriorating.”

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