Climate crisis unlikely to turn rivals China and the US into green collaborators

Can Beijing and Washington work together on climate issues while still engaged in rows over trade, human rights and other sources of tension?

While both sides have indicated carbon emissions must be urgently reduced, neither is likely to pass up the chance to be the world’s leader in a new technology

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China remains in a twilight between aiming for carbon neutrality in 2060 but not yet giving up coal power. It is competing with the US for supremacy in the renewables technology race. Photo: AP

Eduardo Baptista,Owen ChurchillandEcho Xie

Published: 12:00pm, 23 Aug 2021Updated: 12:38pm, 23 Aug 2021

While China and the United States have a long list of public disagreements, tackling the threat caused by climate change has been regarded as one area of cooperation between the world’s two biggest emitters of greenhouse gases. But that is also now in dispute.

Instead of collaboration to reduce the burning of fossil fuels and drive a switch to renewable energies, the more likely scenario is that the two biggest economies will aggressively compete in their climate policies, say researchers and analysts.

They point to statements by Chinese officials that indicate cooperation with Washington to meet the climate challenge is unlikely while the two nations are so deeply divided on other fronts, including on trade, human rights, tit-for-tat sanctions and intensifying shows of force around the South China Sea and Taiwan.

The US has said areas of conflict with China should be ring-fenced from climate discussions, a position that does not fly in Beijing, said Lauri Myllyvirta, lead analyst at the Helsinki-based Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air.

“China not agreeing to have the climate talks in a separate sandbox was completely predictable,” said Myllyvirta. “The EU and the US have had the pipe dream of making climate a stand-alone issue. Anyone who’s had even a cursory look at China’s foreign policy knows that absolutely is not how China works.”

US Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman got that message when she met vice-foreign minister Xie Feng in China on July 26. Xie told her that Washington should not expect Beijing’s unconditional cooperation while it “suppresses and contains China”.

Working together on matters such as climate, Iran’s nuclear programme and others would be preconditioned on a “favourable atmosphere in bilateral relations,” Xie said.