Diplomats Say "Kerry Special Envoy's China Visit Yields No Significant Results"

[Asia Economy Reporter Yoo In-ho] In diplomatic circles, John Kerry, the U.S. President's Special Envoy for Climate, is being evaluated as having achieved little during his visit to China.

With Kerry's visit, it was expected that the opportunity for cooperation between the U.S. and China?who have shown a conflictual relationship?on climate change would expand, but there were no achievements such as a joint statement.

[Image source=Yonhap News]

Hong Kong's South China Morning Post (SCMP) reported on the 18th, "Kerry's visit to China was interpreted as showing that despite escalating tensions between the U.S. and China, there is little but some room for cooperation, but neither side seems willing to utilize this meeting," pointing out the absence of a joint statement regarding the content or outcomes of the talks.

Kerry held a closed-door meeting on climate cooperation issues on the 16th and 17th in Shanghai with his Chinese counterpart, Xie Zhenhua, China's Special Representative for Climate Change. He is the first senior U.S. official to visit China since President Joe Biden took office.

During his visit, Kerry is believed to have actively encouraged the Chinese side to have President Xi Jinping participate in the climate summit hosted by the U.S. on the 22nd and 23rd of this month.

However, the Chinese side has yet to provide a clear stance regarding President Xi's attendance.

Nonetheless, diplomatic circles analyze that it is too early to evaluate Kerry's visit. If President Xi participates in the U.S.-hosted climate summit, it would be appropriate to assess that Kerry's visit achieved its purpose.

Experts view that maintaining dialogue and contact channels between the U.S. and China amid rising tensions and crises is important for both sides, and that climate issues provide an opportunity for face-to-face contact.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.