John Kerry's Visit To China Fails to Secure Climate Agreement, Disappointing Progress Made During In-Person Talks

Despite engaging in frank discussions with his Chinese counterparts about combating global warming, Kerry revealed that they were unable to solidify a formal agreement. Recognizing the importance of an in-person dialogue between the United States and China, Kerry emphasized the need for additional time to reach a climate deal between the two nations.

"We came to Beijing in order to unstick what has been stuck for almost a year, and that’s the in-person dialogue between the United States and China," Kerry explained. "We had very frank conversations, but we came here to break new ground, which we think is important at this stage, and it is clear that we are going to need a little more work to be able to complete that task, which we still believe, both of us, is doable."

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Kerry assured that negotiations between the U.S. and China will continue on an accelerated schedule in the coming weeks and months. He acknowledged that finding a clear pathway that allows both countries to achieve their climate goals requires further work.

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"We’re not finished finding the pathway with clarity on both sides that will allow us to achieve what we need to achieve," Kerry stated.

July 21, 2023

This trip marked Kerry's return to China and his meetings with Chinese officials, a year after climate talks between the two nations stalled due to former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's high-profile visit to Taiwan. In May, the State Department confirmed that Kerry had quietly restarted climate talks with China and was planning future in-person meetings.

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Since assuming the SPEC position, Kerry has engaged in private talks with Chinese counterparts, including two meetings in China in 2021. However, following a regional climate summit in April 2021, Kerry emphasized that solving climate change was not solely about China.

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Despite his efforts, Kerry's role in the Biden administration has faced criticism from top Republican lawmakers who have raised concerns about his negotiations with China. In 2021, President Biden appointed Kerry as SPEC, a position that does not require Senate approval and grants him a spot on the president's cabinet and National Security Council.

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"Despite not being confirmed by the U.S. Senate, John Kerry is still negotiating with the Chinese Communist Party to push a radical, Green New Deal agenda detrimental to American interests," stated House Oversight and Accountability Committee Chairman James Comer.

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Comer further criticized the Biden administration for granting Kerry the ability to unilaterally set foreign policy and bind the United States to international agreements without consent from Congress. He argued that China sees this as an opportunity to take advantage of the administration's weak leadership.

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In February, Comer initiated a probe into Kerry's office over its negotiations with China, and he has promised continued intense scrutiny of Kerry's China climate talks.

Representative Elise Stefanik, who chairs the House Republican Conference, also expressed dissatisfaction with the Biden administration's approach to China, accusing them of pandering to the Chinese Communist Party. Stefanik highlighted China's cyber espionage attacks, intelligence collection activities near U.S. military installations, and acquisition of U.S. agricultural land as evidence of their aggressive behavior.

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"While the CCP is conducting cyber espionage attacks on U.S. executive agencies, operating an intelligence collection facility in our backyard, and buying up U.S. agricultural land next to sensitive military installations, Joe Biden continues to pander to the CCP by sending John Kerry to Beijing, ignoring their aggressions, to engage in futile discussions about climate change with the world’s biggest polluter," Stefanik remarked.

Despite the setback in reaching a climate agreement during Kerry's visit to China, negotiations will continue as both countries strive to find common ground on addressing climate change. The challenges and criticisms faced by Kerry underscore the complexities of international climate diplomacy and the need for sustained efforts to combat global warming.