WASHINGTON (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 28th January, 2021) The United States will not waver on any of its grievances towards China in exchange for Beijing's action on climate change, US Climate Envoy John Kerry said on Wednesday.
"We have serious differences with China... [and] those issues will never be traded for anything that has to do with climate," Kerry told reporters.
Kerry cited intellectual property theft, access to the Chinese market and Beijing's forages in the South China Sea as among the issues.
However, Kerry said that climate is a standalone issue that requires international cooperation and that the United States has internal work to do in establishing its credibility on the issue abroad.
The United States and China are the world's largest carbon dioxide emitters, representing 15 percent and 28 percent of yearly emissions, respectively.
Despite both nations signaling the need for more actions, the United States and China are mired in a trade war that has seen bilateral relations plummet to their lowest point in decades. Reciprocally, Beijing has also frequently accused Washington of flouting international norms and rules in its effort to promote US national interests.
