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Australian Energy Minister Chris Bowen is hoping Washington and Beijing can “ring-fence” the growing tensions over Taiwan and continue climate change talks after they were shuttered by the Chinese Communist Party in response to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s (D-Calif.) visit to Taiwan.
Beijing announced its “countermeasures” in response to Pelosi’s high-profile visit on Aug. 5 and suspended talks on eight different areas, including climate change, military cooperation, and counter-narcotics.
The Biden administration had been pushing China to do more to address climate change, which is currently the world’s largest emitter of carbon dioxide emissions, accounting for around 29 percent of global emissions, with the United States following on around 15 percent, according to the Global Carbon Project.
Australia’s Bowen said it was a “blow” that the climate change talks had been suspended.
“In all the tensions between China and the United States, the one thing that has been ring-fenced up until now has been climate discussions. They’ve agreed they’ve got a lot to do together.
“We want the world’s two biggest emitters talking with each other, and I do hope those talks are resumed, and that suspension is lifted because that is a blow, and it would be better if those talks resumed,” he told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation’s Insider program on Aug.
