"A yearlong freeze in climate talks appears to be ending as the United States and China, the world’s biggest polluters, resume discussions."

"WASHINGTON — John Kerry, President Biden’s special envoy for climate change, said on Thursday he would travel to China next week to restart global warming negotiations between the world’s two largest polluters.

Mr. Kerry’s trip will mark the first climate discussions between the United States and China since August, when Beijing cut off talks in anger after Nancy Pelosi, who was House speaker at the time, visited Taiwan. The talks come as the highest global temperatures ever recorded, driven by the burning of fossil fuels as well as the climate pattern El Niño, bake both nations and much of the planet.

“We need genuine cooperation,” Mr. Kerry said in an interview. “China and the United States are the two largest economies in the world and we’re also the two largest emitters. It’s clear that we have a special responsibility to find common ground.”

The trip to China would be Mr. Kerry’s third as climate envoy. It follows visits by Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen aimed at stabilizing the uneasy relationship between Washington and Beijing. Mr. Kerry said he planned to meet with his Chinese counterpart, Xie Zhenhua, and other officials “at the highest levels” during the week of July 16."

Lisa Friedman reports for the New York Times July 6, 2023. [2]