Right soil needed for fruitful climate talks: China Daily editorial

Climate envoy Xie Zhenhua and United States Special Presidential Envoy for Climate John Kerry are meeting in Tianjin from Tuesday to Friday in the lead-up to this year's United Nations climate change conference. The talks send an unmistakable message to the outside world that China and the US are aware that they need to cooperate on climate change.

This is Kerry's second trip to China this year as climate envoy. In April, Kerry traveled to Shanghai to hold talks with Xie, the trip making him the first high-ranking official of the Joe Biden administration to visit China.

As the world's largest developing country, China has long been committed to sustainable development, and it attaches the highest priority to realizing its emissions goals. In September last year, China announced that it would peak carbon dioxide emissions before 2030 and achieve carbon neutrality before 2060.

Achieving these goals will require much effort and a lot of sacrifice, but China is determined to take concrete actions to attain them. China has also made it clear that it is willing to cooperate with the US and other members of the world community on emissions reduction and related issues, as climate change is an acute existential threat to humanity.

Given this, promoting cooperation should be a non-negotiable responsibility for both countries. But the US should not presume that this means China will cooperate in specific areas handpicked by the US while bearing the strategic pressure and injustice incurred from the US policy to contain China.

China's stance in this regard is best reflected in State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi's remarks to Kerry via video link on Wednesday: The two sides' joint efforts to combat global warming are an "oasis", but surrounding the oasis is a desert, and the oasis may be desertified very soon.

Indeed, with the Biden administration emulating its predecessor in pursuing a strategy to contain China, the once flourishing field of interactions is rapidly being transformed into a desert.

The US has also tried to set up a new "iron curtain" against China by canvassing support for its containment policy from its allies.

Against such a backdrop, how can the Biden administration expect Beijing to cooperate with it to address US concerns if it is not willing to reciprocate by addressing the major concerns of China. China-US climate cooperation cannot be separated from the wider environment of China-US relations.

The onus is on the US side to create the right conditions and atmosphere for fruitful dialogue and cooperation. It should stop viewing China as a threat and rival, abandon its containment policy against China, and make concrete moves to improve bilateral ties.