China links climate cooperation with US to overall bilateral ties

By Riyaz ul Khaliq

ANKARA (AA) - China's cooperation with the US on responding to climate change is linked to overall bilateral relations between the two countries, an official has said.

"China-US cooperation on climate change cannot be divorced from the overall situation of China-US relations," Wang Yi, China’s State Councilor and Foreign Minister, told visiting US Special Presidential Envoy for Climate John Kerry on Wednesday.

Wang and Kerry, who is on an official trip to China on Beijing's invitation until Friday, met to discuss cooperation on climate change response in Tianjin city, said a statement by China's Foreign Ministry.

"The US should work with China to meet each other halfway and take positive actions to bring China-US relations back on track," Wang said.

China and the US, said Wang, are two major countries in the world, and "cooperation is the only right choice and the keen expectation of the international community."

The Chinese top diplomat acknowledged that the two countries had "carried out fruitful dialogue and cooperation bilaterally and on major international and regional issues."

However, he said: "In recent years, China-US relations have taken a sharp turn for the worse and are facing serious difficulties."

"The main reason is that the US has made a major strategic miscalculation about China," Wang said.

"The ball now is in the US court," Wang told Kerry, urging Washington to "stop viewing China as a threat and rival, and cease containing and suppressing China all over the world."

"The United States should carry out coordination and cooperation at bilateral, regional and global levels, based on the principles of mutual respect, equality, and mutual benefit, instead of one-way traffic," he added.

Wang emphasized that China-US cooperation on climate change should "not only serve the interests of both sides but also benefit all mankind."

According to the Chinese statement, Kerry acknowledged that US-China cooperation "is of vital importance for responding to the pressing challenge of climate change."

"The US is willing to work with China to respect each other, enhance communication and dialogue, jointly improve ambitions, demonstrate both sides' leadership, set an example for meeting the Paris Agreement goals, and also create opportunities for addressing difficulties facing US-China relations," the US envoy said.