Following the “honeymoon” in the second term of the Obama administration and the four-year “stagnation” period with the Trump administration, the future of the China-US climate diplomacy has attracted all sorts of speculation. Since Joe Biden swore in as president of the United States, China and the United States have had frequent interactions, in confrontational or consulting tones, in the climate field, and stumbling forward to address the climate crisis. At present and for some time to come, it is and will remain a pressing issue that needs to be carefully considered and acted upon as to how to avoid a complete “break-up” between China and the US on climate issues at the expense of global climate governance.

In a virtual meeting with John Kerry, U.S. Special Presidential Envoy for Climate, who was in Tianjin for China-US consultations on climate change on September 1st, Wang Yi, the State Councilor and Foreign Minister of China said that the US hoped that climate change cooperation would become an oasis for China-US relations, but the oasis would be eaten away and lost sooner or later if surrounded by nothing but desert. The metaphor vividly illustrates the current predicament of China-US climate diplomacy, and sheds light on the prospects of future bilateral climate cooperation. It is impossible for China-US cooperation on climate change to be independent of the context of bilateral relations, and there are always factors shaping the future of China-US climate diplomacy. Whether it is an “oasis,” or “desert,” or both, eventually depends on whether China and the US will “meet each other halfway” in every step they take.

An “Oasis”: Optimistic Prospects of China-US Climate Diplomacy