U.S. presidential climate envoy John Kerry plans to visit China in July to discuss global warming concerns with Beijing diplomats, despite sharpened tensions between the two countries, Bloomberg reported.
Kerry, a Biden Administration climate diplomat, is headed to China in mid-July for a global warming discussion with his longtime CCP counterpart Xie Zhenhua, according to Bloomberg. Kerry has been under criticism for downplaying China’s human rights violations and lobbying against bans on goods produced by Chinese slave labor.
Kerry said in 2021 that when it comes to the tradeoff between climate change initiatives and the fight against human rights violations, “life is full of tough choices.”
“Yes, we have issues, a number of different issues, but first and foremost this planet must be protected,” Kerry said in an interview with Bloomberg.
Kerry’s Beijing visit will likely take place on July 16, although this is subject to change as the trip has yet to be publicly confirmed, according to Bloomberg. Kerry and Zhenhua are expected to discuss “climate cooperation,” as well as collaborative efforts to curb methane emissions and greenhouse gases from oil wells, coal stems and landfills. The meeting could set a backdrop for the upcoming UN climate conference in November, Bloomberg reported. (RELATED: ‘They’re Offset’: John Kerry Defends Billionaires Flying Private To Davos)
“China has invited me to visit in the near term to be able to meet with [Xie] to be able to work on work that we’ve been doing for several years, which is trying to find the pathway forward to be able to cooperate in ways that are beneficial to the world. And hopefully, we’ll be able to do that,” Kerry said to Reuters in May.
John Kerry is asked about China using slave labour to build solar panels.
John Kerry: “That’s not my lane here” pic.twitter.com/YW57FYIjz4
— The Post Millennial (@TPostMillennial) November 11, 2021
The visit would come amidst simmering tensions between the U.S. and China, which Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen hopes to address during her trip to Beijing this week, after China restricted exports of a chipmaking metal to the U.S. on Tuesday. State Secretary Antony Blinken’s Beijing visit was met with scrutiny after he made major concessions to China – including denying Taiwan’s independence – with little to show for in return.
The House Oversight Committee has condemned Kerry’s sympathetic attitude towards China despite the country’s routine human rights violations and aggressive attitude towards the U.S.
Kerry dismissed a reporter in 2021 who asked about solar panels produced by slave labor in the Xinjiang province of China, saying it wasn’t his job.
“Well, we’re honest. We’re honest about the differences, and we certainly know what they are and we’ve articulated them, but that’s not my lane here,” said Kerry. “My job is to be the climate guy, and stay focused on trying to move the climate agenda forward.”
Kerry lamented that the U.S. put sanctions on solar panels produced by Chinese slave labor, and said it hurt U.S. and China climate initiatives.
“On the one hand, we’re saying to them, ‘You have to do more to help deal with the climate.’ And on the other hand, their solar panels are being sanctioned, which makes it harder for them to sell them,” Kerry said in 2021.
“John Kerry continues to negotiate deals with foreign governments, including the Chinese Communist Party, that potentially undermine the United States’ interests and the Biden Administration has refused to respond to Committee requests for information on Kerry’s powerful, unchecked position,” said Oversight Committee Chair James Comer in a statement in April. “Envoy Kerry and his office are refusing to be transparent about their activities, spending, and staffing with the Committee—and the American people.”
Kerry’s office did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
All content created by the Daily Caller News Foundation, an independent and nonpartisan newswire service, is available without charge to any legitimate news publisher that can provide a large audience. All republished articles must include our logo, our reporter’s byline and their DCNF affiliation. For any questions about our guidelines or partnering with us, please contact licensing@dailycallernewsfoundation.org.