COP27 | The Chinese envoy welcomes the “constructive” talks with the United States

The two top officials met at the UN COP27 climate conference after US President Joe Biden and Chinese leader Xi Jinping agreed to resume climate collaboration at the G20 summit in Indonesia.

Beijing, furious over US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s visit to Taiwan, suspended talks in August.

Cooperation between the two giants is essential and has led, in the past, to progress in international climate conferences, including that of 2015 in Paris, fundamental in the fight against climate change.

The discussions were “frank, friendly, positive” and “overall very constructive,” said Xie.

“We have agreed to continue our official conversations after this COP, including one-on-one meetings,” Xie said, adding that he had known Kerry for more than two decades.

But he highlighted the persistent differences with Western countries, rejecting the idea that China – which has become the second largest economy in the world – is no longer considered a developing country.

Under the terms of a 1992 United Nations treaty, developed countries must provide financial assistance to developing countries in their energy transition and their adaptation to climate change.

The Paris Agreement, said Xie, also says “very clearly that the responsibility for providing funding rests […] to developed countries”.

This question was at the center of a thorny debate at COP27 on the establishment of a “loss and damage” fund for the attention of the poorest countries affected by climate disasters.

The European Union has argued that China and Saudi Arabia in particular, which have become significantly richer over the past 30 years, must now put their hands in their pockets. He also insisted that the fund should go to “vulnerable” countries, implying that China could be left out.

“I hope it is primarily aimed at fragile countries. But the beneficiaries should be developing countries “as a whole, Xie said.”