To stabilize U.S.-China climate cooperation, look beyond bilateral partnerships to more creative modes of engagement.
U.S. Special Presidential Envoy for Climate John Kerry and Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi meet at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, July 18, 2023. Credit: Florence Lo/Pool Photo via AP Photos
John Kerry’s visit to Beijing in late July 2023 marked an attempt to resume U.S.-China climate cooperation. Such cooperation has been a stop-start affair in recent years. The Joint Glasgow Declaration of November 2021 —a product of more than three dozen negotiating sessions — signaled a bilateral commitment to cooperation across a host of climate issues. But China broke off bilateral climate dialogue after Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s visit to Taiwan in April 2022. With Kerry’s visit, both sides confirmed that they were willing once again to work together on climate; according to Kerry, they will convene follow-ups before this year’s COP28 on issues including renewable energy and methane. But there were no new bilateral agreements.
New agreements may come at COP28, but the long-term prospects for cooperation remain uncertain. The U.S. has pressed throughout the Biden administration to treat climate separately from the rest of the relationship. China has consistently refu
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