Thread by @neilthomas123

John Kerry met via video with Han Zheng, China's 7th-ranked leader on the Politburo Standing Committee

That this meeting occurred is a mild positive sign for China-US climate cooperation on COP26

Han is far more senior than Kerry's other interlocutors, FM Wang Yi & Xie Zhenhua

BUT there's still a lot of tension and risk

Han was more restrained than Wang Yi on climate cooperation requiring better US-China relations

Yet he said cooperation "must be premised on trust" & the US should "create a favorable atmosphere"

So Beijing is putting pressure on

Still, Beijing will act in its interests, and it is interested in fighting climate change and bolstering its geopolitical position through climate leadership

So China is unlikely to blow up COP26 over US-China ties, unless the US tries to isolate China

cpc.people.com.cn/n1/2021/0902/c…

Though it's notable that Han did not mention any preconditions about bilateral relations when he met with Kerry via video in April

That was earlier in Biden's admin, when Beijing still hoped it could get more favorable relations from a new president

xinhuanet.com/politics/leade…