As the world experiences record temperatures and heatwaves, the Biden administration's climate envoy, John Kerry, met his Chinese counterpart on Monday to discuss carbon emissions in an effort to restart climate talks that had been put on hold for years after a US official visited Taiwan.
After former US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's visit to Taiwan, which Beijing disapproved of, climate diplomacy came to a halt.
Despite the two nations' divergent views on a number of issues, a former secretary of state under former US president Barack Obama enjoyed solid and close ties with China.
Chinese media reports that Kerry spoke with his Chinese counterpart, Xie Zhenhua, for four hours on Monday in Beijing.
"Xie Zhenhua, China’s special envoy for climate change affairs, concluded his talks with John Kerry, the special envoy of the US president for climate issues, which lasted for around four hours," broadcaster CCTV said.
According to US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan, Kerry will pressure Beijing to stop using the pretext that it is a developing country to stall emissions-reduction efforts.
"Every country, including China, has a responsibility to reduce emissions," Sullivan said.
"And the world, I do believe, should step up and encourage — indeed, pressure — China to take far more dramatic action to reduce emissions."
China has long used its official status as a developing nation to justify its high emissions, with Sullivan saying, "There is more work for them to do on that front".
"Secretary Kerry will make that point when he's in Beijing," he added.
Kerry’s trip follows two other high-profile visits by US officials — Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen — that were aimed at normalising ties between the US and China.
His trip to China came as the northern hemisphere endured record-setting summer heatwaves, which scientists say are being exacerbated by climate change.
"The Kerry visit and the resumption of climate interaction underscores the critical importance of coordinated efforts to address the climate crisis," Chunping Xie, Senior Policy Fellow at the Grantham Research Institute on Climate Change and the Environment, told AFP in written comments.
"It also demonstrates their shared determination to navigate a complex geopolitical relationship to promote the common good," said Xie.
As the leading emitter of the greenhouse gases driving climate change, China has pledged to peak carbon emissions by 2030 and achieve complete carbon neutrality by 2060.
President Xi Jinping has also said that the country will reduce its use of coal by 2026.
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