U.S. climate envoy John F. Kerry has acknowledged that China has done a lot towards slowing global warming. But he wants more. And he is asking China to separate politics from environment as climate change is the world's biggest crisis. But China doesn't look at it this way.

China says that cooperation on climate change and the tensions between the two countries cannot be seen as two different things. In fact, it smells a plot by the U.S. to take a moral high ground by pleading with China for cooperation while not yielding on political issues. [https://www.globaltimes.cn/page/202109/1233243.shtml]

China has said that it would be a "strategic miscalculation" by the U.S. if it is responsible for bilateral tensions on the one hand and tries to talk to China separately on climate change. Wang Yi, China's foreign minister, has said cooperation on climate would not be sustainable without "better relations." [https://www.ft.com/content/5e830153-1e1a-4dfb-b40a-8469384ab6d0]

Kerry was in China for the second time in six months to hold talks on raising climate ambition ahead of the 26th Conference of the Parties (COP26) of the United Nations, which will be held in Glasgow in November.

China has called Kerry's proposal to set aside political differences as "absurd." "The overall U.S. policy toward China has been so wicked…Then the U.S. suddenly put on a friendly face on the climate issue, inviting China to cooperate with it as if nothing has ever happened," says an editorial in the Chinese Communist Party-controlled Global Times.

China and the U.S. need to find a solution together to reduce the use of fossil fuels that cause global warming. But China may not agree to solutions without broader consensus on trade and politics. [https://news.cgtn.com/news/2021-04-14/U-S-climate-envoy-John-Kerry-to-visit-China-ZsaPfyG7io/index.html]

China is well aware of its importance for achieving climate goals. It is the world's largest emitter of carbon dioxide and is responsible for more than a quarter of the world's overall greenhouse gas emissions. [https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-58427519]

Read more:

The U.S. wants China to "do more" on climate change:
https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/asia_pacific/climate-change-kerry-china/2021/09/02/65291fde-0b93-11ec-a7c8-61bb7b3bf628_story.html

Why China is crucial for handling climate crisis:
https://www.npr.org/2021/09/02/1033557246/u-s-envoy-kerry-says-china-is-crucial-to-handling-the-climate-crisis