The Times reported that Chinese President Xi Jinping will not attend the 26th United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP26), which will be held in the United Kingdom at the end of this month. It is thought that energy shortages and economic downturn make Beijing reluctant to make new commitments at the conference. British sources said that the Queen was "irritated" because of the lack of action by world leaders.
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson has learned from the Minister of State for Foreign Affairs that Xi will not attend the summit and therefore will not meet with U.S. President Biden and other leaders. According to an analysis by a British institution, Xi's decision not to attend may be due to the recent energy shortage in China. As the host, the UK fears that Xi's non-attendance of the summit may pave the way for its refusal to propose new climate goals. Government sources said that it is not clear what Beijing's current position is.
Reuters also reported that the UK is seeking greater support in response to climate change at COP26 held in Glasgow, Scotland from October 31 to November 12. China is currently the world's largest emitter of greenhouse gases. If Xi is absent, this means that British Prime Minister Johnson's hope that all countries could reach a climate agreement would be dashed.
At the same time, the Queen was observed to criticize global leaders for being inactive on the issue of climate change.
The Guardian reported that the Queen attended the opening ceremony of the Welsh Parliament, and complained to the Duchess of Cornwall and Elin Jones, the parliament's presiding officer, that, "Extraordinary isn't it. I've been hearing all about Cop ... still don't know who is coming. No idea." "We only know about people who are not coming ... It's really irritating when they talk, but they don't do".
The Paris Climate Agreement signed in 2015 proposes to limit global warming to about 1.5 degree Celsius. Sources said that unless China agrees to commit more, this level will not be able to be maintained.
The Times pointed out that although the summit is about to kick off, currently half of the G20 countries have not yet put forward a plan, China is among them, and companies connected with Beijing have also been told not to expect new commitments. Lauri Myllyvirta, a leading expert on China, pointed out that once Beijing proposes new targets at the summit, it is equivalent to binding itself to these commitments.
U.S. climate envoy John Kerry said in an interview on October 13 that the summit may not be able to ensure that major emitters pledge to stop burning coal and increase emissions reductions in the short term. China's recent energy shortage and high coal prices have led to an electricity shortage in China, coupled with multiple factors such as strong demand, all these have affected the Chinese economy. The Chinese authorities are planning to protect the power supply in various ways. The Russian news agency TASS reported that Beijing requested Russia to double its power transmission to China from November to December. In addition, Chinese Premier Li Keqiang also said in a video meeting with Mongolian Prime Minister Luvsannamsrain Oyun-Erdene recently that he hoped that the two countries would expand the scale of coal trade and ensure a smooth energy supply chain.
I have previously mentioned in ANBOUND that China's climate policy is greatly influenced by geopolitics. China is facing the dilemma that on one hand it is being pressured to assume more responsibilities in reducing carbon emissions; on the other hand, it is facing the pressure of energy shortages and economic growth, and even increasing coal production.
