A surprise deal between the US and China, the world’s two biggest greenhouse gas emitters, has boosted the COP26 UN climate summit as it enters the final days of hard bargaining to try to stop global warming becoming catastrophic.
US Special Presidential Envoy for Climate John Kerry and Chinese Special Envoy on Climate Change Xie Zhenhua (解振華) late on Wednesday unveiled an outline in which China, the biggest producer and user of coal, promised to accelerate its transition from the dirtiest fossil fuel.
The deal by the global powers, which have been divided by a raft of diplomatic disputes on other issues, sends a powerful message to delegations at the COP26, including producers of the fossil fuels that are the main cause of human-made global warming.
Photo: AFP
“Together we set out our support for a successful COP26, including certain elements which will promote ambition,” Kerry told a news conference. “Every step matters right now, and we have a long journey ahead of us.”
Speaking through an interpreter, Xie told reporters that China would bolster its emissions-cutting targets.
“Both sides will work jointly and with other parties to ensure a successful COP26 and to facilitate an outcome that is both ambitious and balanced,” Xie said.
The joint declaration said China, home to half the world’s coal-fired plants, would begin phasing out its coal consumption from 2026 to 2030 and also cut its emissions of methane.
Observers at the climate talks in Glasgow had been worried before the announcement that Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) was not attending and Beijing had made no substantial new pledges to achieve carbon neutrality before 2060.
China’s climate plan had also not addressed its methane emissions, linked largely to its sprawling coal industry.
The US has set a goal to decarbonize its economy by 2050, although US President Joe Biden has been struggling to pass crucial legislation to do so through a politically divided US Congress.
“It’s really encouraging to see that those countries that were at odds in so many areas have found common ground on what is the biggest challenge humanity faces today,” European Commissioner for Climate Action Frans Timmermans said.
“It certainly helps us here at COP to come to an agreement,” she added.
Durwood Zaelke, president of the Institute for Governance and Sustainable Development, said it was “the breakthrough that should set the tone for wrapping an ambitious COP.”
MISINFORMATION: The generated content tends to adopt China’s official stance, such as ‘Taiwan is currently governed by the Chinese central government,’ the NSB said Five China-developed artificial intelligence (AI) language models exhibit cybersecurity risks and content biases, an inspection conducted by the National Security Bureau (NSB) showed. The five AI tools are: DeepSeek, Doubao (豆包), Yiyan (文心一言), Tongyi (通義千問) and Yuanbao (騰訊元寶), the bureau said, advising people to remain vigilant to protect personal data privacy and corporate business secrets. The NSB said it, in accordance with the National Intelligence Services Act (國家情報工作法), has reviewed international cybersecurity reports and intelligence, and coordinated with the Ministry of Justice Investigation Bureau and the National Police Agency’s Criminal Investigation Bureau to conduct an inspection of China-made AI language
BOOST IN CONFIDENCE: The sale sends a clear message of support for Taiwan and dispels rumors that US President Donald Trump ‘sold out’ the nation, an expert said The US government on Thursday announced a possible sale to Taiwan of fighter jet parts, which was estimated to cost about US$330 million, in a move that an expert said “sends a clear message of support for Taiwan” amid fears that Washington might be wavering in its attitude toward Taipei. It was the first announcement of an arms sale to Taiwan since US President Donald Trump returned to the White House earlier this year. The proposed package includes non-standard components, spare and repair parts, consumables and accessories, as well repair and return support for the F-16, C-130 and Indigenous Defense Fighter aircraft,
CHECKING BOUNDARIES: China wants to disrupt solidarity among democracies and test their red lines, but it is instead pushing nations to become more united, an expert said The US Department of State on Friday expressed deep concern over a Chinese public security agency’s investigation into Legislator Puma Shen (沈伯洋) for “secession.” “China’s actions threaten free speech and erode norms that have underpinned the cross-strait ‘status quo’ for decades,” a US Department of State spokesperson said. The Chongqing Municipal Public Security Bureau late last month listed Shen as “wanted” and launched an investigation into alleged “secession-related” criminal activities, including his founding of the Kuma Academy, a civil defense organization that prepares people for an invasion by China. The spokesperson said that the US was “deeply concerned” about the bureau investigating Shen
DISPUTE: A Chinese official prompted a formal protest from Tokyo by saying that ‘the dirty head that sticks itself out must be cut off,’ after Takaichi’s Taiwan remarks Four armed China Coast Guard vessels yesterday morning sailed through disputed waters controlled by Japan, amid a diplomatic spat following Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s comments on Taiwan. The four ships sailed around the Senkaku Islands — known as the Diaoyutai Islands (釣魚台) to Taiwan, and which Taiwan and China also claim — on Saturday before entering Japanese waters yesterday and left, the Japan Coast Guard said. The China Coast Guard said in a statement that it carried out a “rights enforcement patrol” through the waters and that it was a lawful operation. As of the end of last month,
RSS