John Kerry concedes after China says they’ll ‘never’ be influenced by others on climate

Special Presidential Envoy for Climate John Kerry is leaving Beijing on Wednesday after the Chinese president said that China will work on climate in its own time and “never” be influenced by other countries on climate policy, Bloomberg reported.

Vice President Han Zheng told Kerry during a Wednesday meeting that China will work with the U.S. on climate so long as political demands are met, according to the Associated Press. Chinese President Xi Jinping said on Tuesday during China’s National Ecological Environmental Protection Conference that the timing and method of China’s climate initiatives will be determined by the country and will “never be influenced by others,” according to Bloomberg.

Kerry conceded on Wednesday – the last day of his trip – that the U.S. and China need more time to “break new ground” on combating climate change, according to Bloomberg.

“We’re not finished finding the pathway with clarity on both sides that will allow us to achieve what we need to achieve,” Kerry said, according to Bloomberg. “We both agreed to continue this bilateral effort.”

Kerry also said during a Wednesday press conference that “nothing will get in the way” of dealing with the climate crisis, according to a News18 live stream on Wednesday.

“We all hope nothing will get in the way of our ability to deal with the climate crisis,” Kerry said. “The climate crisis is a universal threat to humankind and we all have a responsibility to deal with it as rapidly as we can. We hope we will leave other issues to the side.”

John Kerry has had a very busy week jetting across China and meeting with Chinese government officials about the climate pic.twitter.com/qbQ9PAnXXy

— RNC Research (@RNCResearch) July 18, 2023

Han said that addressing climate change was “an important aspect of China-U.S. cooperation,” but could only be predicated “on the basis of U.S. attendance to core issues that concern both parties, fully engaging and exchanging ideas,” the AP reported.

Kerry’s Beijing trip started on July 16, according to the State Department. He is the third Biden administration official to visit China in the last five weeks, preceded by Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen, the AP reported.

Kerry hinted during his trip that President Biden could meet with Xi during the Asia-Pacific Economic Leaders’ Summit in November, according to NBC News.

The State Department did not immediately respond to the Daily Caller News Foundation’s request for comment.

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