alongside coal's importance for China's economic growth, a political game is also being seen in the background. China's late confirmation of participation at Joe Biden's climate meeting has been linked by several analysts with an unwillingness to portray the United States as a global leader in the field. < / p> < p> the week before, Xi Jinping therefore held a video meeting with German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French president Emmanuel Macron, where the climate was in focus. < / p> < p> Xi certainly wholeheartedly promised in this meeting that China will keep its words when it comes to the climate. But the promises he referred to were to stop increasing emissions after 2030, which became China's contribution when the Paris Agreement was signed in 2015, as well as a goal of China becoming climate neutral by 2060. < / p> < p> within the EU, there is hope that China will increase its ambition by starting to reduce its emissions after 2025. But instead, during the meeting with Europe's top leaders, Xi expressed the hope that the world's rich nations will lead the way by reducing emissions and financing the transition to renewable energy in the world's developing countries. < / p> < p> in a badly hidden outcome against the US, Xi further said that the climate should not be used as a geopolitical playing card or as an excuse for trade barriers. < / p> cooperation without content < p > despite the diplomatic meltdown between the US and China, a certain degree of cooperation can now be felt in terms of climate. < / p> < p> the days before Joe Biden's climate meeting, John Kerry, the president's special envoy for Climate Affairs, was on a three-day visit to Shanghai. There he talked-reportedly well into the nights-with Xie Zhenhua, China's leading climate official. John Kerry, U.S. envoy on climate issues, was recently out on tour. Photo: AP / AP TT news agency < p > since the climate negotiations in Paris in 2015, the rounded and constantly smiling Xie has a good personal relationship with Kerry. U.s. officials describe him as intelligent, professional, and honest, with a genuine interest in improving the environment. < / p> < p> several sources believe that it was even Xie Zhenhua who convinced Xi Jinping that last september before the UN General Assembly promise that China will become climate neutral by 2060. < / p> < p> unlike the chaotic political summit in Alaska, the talks between John Kerry and Xie Zhenhua resulted in a joint statement stressing the importance of working together to combat climate change. < / p> < p> however, the statement contained nothing of substance. Like the EU, John Kerry has been clear about the hope that China will change its target to stop its emissions in 2025, instead of 2030. But some such promises Xie Zhenhua does not have the power to decide. < / p> cooperation ”not necessary” < P > at last week's climate summit, the United States went to the forefront with a new target of reducing emissions by 50-52% by 2030, compared to 2005 levels. < / p> < P> Britain went even further. The country will now reduce its emissions by 78% by 2035, compared with 1990. < / p> < p> German Chancellor Angela Merkel further stated that the country should completely phase out coal from its electricity grid by 2038. She also reiterated the EU's new agreement to the meeting, namely that the Union should reduce emissions by 55% by 2030 compared to 1990. < / p> < p> against this background, China's ambition to ”scale down” coal power in 2025-2030 falls relatively flat. < / p> Angela Merkel promises that the EU will reduce its emissions by 55% by 2030, compared to 1990. Photo: ACTION PRESS/SHUTTERSTOCK / ACTION PRESS/SHUTTERSTOCK SHUTTERSTOCK < p > this is especially given the interview that China's Deputy Foreign Minister Le Yucheng gave to The Associated Press a week ago. "Some countries are asking China to do more on climate change. I am afraid that this is not very realistic, " Le said, referring to the large population of the country. < / p> < p> conditions not only complicate climate cooperation between the US and China. They are increasingly calling into question the importance of such cooperation. < / p> < p > Lauri Myllyvirta, chief analyst at the research organization Center for Research on Clean Energy and Air, recently pointed out how the US and China today have both the resources and technology enough to carry out a green transition without being interdependent. < / p> < p > it is therefore unclear what cooperation would mean in practice - there are no obvious concrete first steps that the two largest environmental criminals in the world can take together to reduce global emissions. < / p> the way forward < P> although Deborah Seligsohn, a professor studying climate change at Villanova University, questions whether cooperation is actually the most important prerequisite for progress in the field of climate change. < / p> emissions China continues to increase. Photo: screenshot / Climate Action Tracker < p > like Myllyvirta, she points out that a ”robust competition” can rather be even more advantageous, both between governments and between companies. A competition between Washington and Beijing on climate issues leadership shirt has several potential advantages. < / p> < p> a concrete example is the financing of energy projects abroad, mainly in poor countries. Here, the state Chinese banks today are the world's absolute largest players. < / p> < p> but The Wire China notes that China's funding of energy projects abroad to 75 percent goes to fossil sources. Overall, over the past decade, government banks have ploughed down dollar 50 billion in coal projects overseas, and another dollar 75 billion in oil. < / P > < P > South Korea, another major financier of coal power in Asia, promised during Joe Biden's climate meeting to stop financing coal power plants abroad. With similar promises, Beijing does not want to acknowledge. < / p> < p> if democratic countries offer more environmentally friendly energy solutions to the developing countries of the world, then Chinese actors are pushed to go in the same direction. Something that would be more concrete than the ongoing bribery bidding about different percentages and years.
read more: China's climate bluff: promises measures – increases emissions read more: Bidens promise: reduce emissions by half read more: < / strong> head of intelligence: we are spying on other countries.see also:Journalist Jojje Olsson explains. < p> it was until the last unclear whether Xi Jinping would participate at all at Joe Biden's climate summit last week. Only the day before, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying announced that the country's president intended to attend, to give ”an important speech” at the meeting. < / p> < p> but while the US, Japan, the UK, Germany and for that matter the whole of the EU issued a series of climate promises, Xi Jinping's performance was instead characterized by more sweeping statements. < / p> < p> the Chinese President let know that we must protect the environment and nature ”like we protect our own eyes”. But the closest thing to any concrete goal Xi came was that China should now "strictly control" its coal power plants under the new five-year plan, which extends until 2025. In the next five-year plan, coal power should then be ”scaled down”. < / p> < p> criticism of the expansion of China coal sector has recently increased. Last month, Expressen noticed how last year the country completed more than three times as much coal power as the remaining world together. < / P > < P > China today accounts for 28 percent of the world's carbon dioxide emissions, and was the only major nation that, despite ongoing pandemic, increased its emissions even last year. The US is the second worst, accounting for 15 percent of emissions. < / p> a political game