crisis
Pressure mounts on Sri Lanka leader to quit as crisis grows
Thousands of Sri Lankans rallied in the country’s main business district and Christian clergy marched in the capital to observe a day of protest on Saturday calling on the debt-ridden nation’s president to resign, as anxiety and anger over shortages simmered.
Protesters carrying national flags and placards, some bemoaning the hardships through songs, blamed President Gotabaya Rajapaksa and his administration for mismanaging the crisis. He has remained steadfast in refusing to step down even after most of his Cabinet quit and loyal lawmakers rebelled, narrowing a path for him to seek a way out as his team prepares to negotiate with international lending institutions.
“Go home Rajapaksas" and "We need responsible leadership,” read the placards.
The protest also included a large number of youngsters who had organized themselves through social media and refuse to accept any political leadership. Many carried signs, saying “You messed with the wrong generation!”
The protesters stayed around the president’s office and vowed not to leave until their mission is accomplished.
For months, Sri Lankans have stood in long lines to buy fuel, cooking gas, food and medicines, most of which come from abroad and are paid for in hard currency. The fuel shortage has caused rolling power cuts lasting several hours a day.
The Indian Ocean island nation is on the brink of bankruptcy, saddled with $25 billion foreign debt over the next five years — nearly $7 billion of which is due this year alone — and dwindling foreign reserves. Talks with the International Monetary Fund are expected later this month, and the government had turned to China and India for emergency loans to buy food and fuel.
Much of the anger expressed by weeks of growing protests has been directed at Rajapaksa and his elder brother, Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa, who head an influential clan that has been in power for most of the past two decades. Five other family members are lawmakers, three of whom resigned as ministers last Sunday.
READ: Sri Lankan president revokes emergency amid growing protests
Thakshila Jayasinghe, a 35-year-old lawyer who joined the protest, said that she felt sorry for voting for Rajapaksa in the 2019 presidential election. “I wonder what sin I have committed by voting for this president when I see the people suffer," she said.
Reports said that at least four elderly people have died while standing in lines for hours trying to buy cooking gas or kerosene oil.
Jayasinghe said she voted for Rajapaksa believing he was the best candidate to restore national security following the 2019 Easter Sunday bomb attacks that killed more than 260 people. The attacks, blamed on local Muslim militants with ties to the Islamic State group, also shattered the tourism industry, alongside the pandemic, depriving Sri Lanka of hard currency.
At the same time, critics accuse Rajapaksa of borrowing heavily to finance projects that earn no money, such as a port facility built with Chinese loans.
Catholic clergy and lay people joined a rally from the “martyrs cemetery” in Negombo, north of the capital Colombo, where more than 100 people who died in the suicide attacks in the area's St. Sebastian's Church are buried.
They protested the economic crisis as well as the government's alleged failure to uncover the conspirators behind the bombings.
“Today the country needs a major change and a new beginning,” Cardinal Malcolm Ranjith, the archbishop of Colombo, told protesters. “We ask from every citizen of this country to come together and change this system. To get together and tell these people to leave.”
“It’s enough now, it’s enough destroying the country, now leave and hand it over to someone who can govern this country,” he said.
The protest later moved near the Anglican cathedral in Colombo.
The Catholic Church in Sri Lanka has been critical of the investigation into the bombings, citing allegations that some members of the state intelligence units knew and met with at least one of the attackers.
Rajapaksa earlier proposed the creation of a unity government following the Cabinet resignations, but the main opposition party rejected the idea. Parliament has failed to reach a consensus on how to deal with the crisis after nearly 40 governing coalition lawmakers said they would no longer vote according to coalition instructions, significantly weakening the government.
With opposition parties divided, they too have not been able to show majority and take control of Parliament.
PM Modi chairs key meet on Ukraine crisis
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday met external affairs minister S Jaishankar and other key officials to take stock of the ongoing rescue operations to bring back all Indian nationals from the war-torn Ukraine. All efforts will be made to evacuate Indian nationals out of Ukraine, the PM said.
This is the second meeting chaired by Modi on the situation prevailing out of the Russian expansion in Ukraine. He also spoke to Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy separately. India has reiterated its stand of defusing the crisis through dialogue, reports The Hisdustan Times.
India’s primary concern is the rescue of thousands of Indians, mostly students, who are stuck in the Eastern European country. With Ukraine closing its air space, India has flown special Air India flights to Budapest (Hungary) and Bucharest (Romania) as part of ‘Operation Ganga’ to bring back its stranded citizens.
READ: Mamata, Modi on the same page on Ukraine crisis
A top official familiar with the development said foreign secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla gave a presentation to the prime minister on the current situation in Ukraine with a special focus on the evacuation operations. According to the government, 249 and 240 Indian nationals were brought back in two flights on Sunday while 219 people were flown in a day ago.
Earlier in the day, Shringla said around 2,000 Indian nationals have been evacuated from Ukraine so far. However, there are issues exiting via Poland border and alternative arrangements are being made, he said.
After the war broke out in Ukraine, many Indian citizens were provided temporary shelters by the embassy while the government has started several helplines for those stuck in the war-torn nation and their relatives.
READ: Modi urges Putin to halt military offensive in Ukraine
Modi presided over the meeting soon after his return from Uttar Pradesh, where he addressed rallies for the Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP) candidates for the ongoing assembly elections.
Meanwhile, senior Congress leader Anand Sharma in a statement said, “The ongoing hostilities and military conflict between Russia and Ukraine is a matter of grave concern for the world. Indian National Congress while expressing its anguish is of the considered view that the international community must work together for cessation of armed conflict and early restoration of peace to save human lives and further aggravation of the crisis.”“The path of diplomatic negotiations must be embraced in all sincerity for a negotiated resolution of all issues between Russia and Ukraine respecting the MINSK and Russia — NATO agreements and earlier understandings,” he added.
Rohingya Crisis: Dhaka seeks effective role from UN envoy for solution
Bangladesh has expressed disappointment for lack of progress towards Rohingyas repatriation and urged Noeleen Heyzer, the newly appointed UN Special Envoy on Myanmar, to play an effective role in finding a "durable solution" to the crisis.
Foreign Secretary Masud Bin Momen held a virtual meeting with the UN Secretary-General’s Special Envoy on Myanmar on Tuesday and made the request.
READ: Keep up pressure on Myanmar for Rohingya repatriation: FM to UK
Outlining Bangladesh’s priority, which is the repatriation of the Rohingyas to their homeland Myanmar, the Foreign Secretary highlighted Bangladesh’s expectations.
He expressed disappointment that in the fifth year of the crisis, Bangladesh is still grappling with multiple challenges of hosting more than a million forcibly displaced Myanmar nationals.
The prolonged presence of the Rohingyas in Bangladesh is creating security problems, such as, human and drug trafficking with ramifications across the region, Foreign Secretary added.
He emphasised that the office of the Special Envoy should work towards creating conducive conditions in Myanmar for the return of the Rohingyas in safety and security.
Masud Momen hoped that she would be able to bring positive results given the familiarity of the new Special Envoy with the issue and the region and having rich experience.
Commending Bangladesh’s exceptional humanitarian gesture, the Special Envoy conveyed her sincere thanks and gratitude to Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina for demonstrating the highest level of humanity by hosting more than a million persecuted Myanmar Nationals.
The Special Envoy shed some lights on her priorities and future plans.
READ: British parliamentary delegation visits Rohingya camps
She assured that the Rohingya issue would remain high on her agenda, according to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Noeleen Heyzer was appointed the UN Secretary General’s Special Envoy on Myanmar in October 2021. She succeeded Christine Schraner Burgener.
Lebanese minister resigns in bid to ease crisis with Saudis
Lebanon’s information minister resigned Friday, a move many hope could open the way for easing an unprecedented diplomatic row with Saudi Arabia and other Gulf Arab nations that has compounded the small country’s multiple crises.George Kordahi, the minister and a prominent former game show host, said he took the decision to step down ahead of French President Emmanuel Macron’s visit to Saudi Arabia on Saturday. The resignation, Kordahi said at a press conference in the Lebanese capital, may help Macron start a dialogue to help restore Beirut-Riyadh relations.
READ: Lebanese hospitals at breaking point as everything runs out
But the crisis goes deeper than Kordahi’s comments aired in late October, in which he was critical of the Saudi-led war in Yemen. His resignation is unlikely going to be a game changer in the dynamics of the crisis. It is rooted in Saudi Arabia’s uneasiness over the rising influence of Iran in the region, including in Lebanon, once a traditional Saudi ally and recipient of financial assistance from the oil-rich kingdom.It is also unlikely to diffuse internal divisions in Lebanon and a government paralysis made worse during the diplomatic crisis.Saudi Arabia, which has been joined by other Gulf Arab states in a boycott of Lebanon, is unhappy with the dominance of the Iran-backed militant Hezbollah group and its allies on the levers of power in Lebanon.“The Saudi view is that any initiative that does not address that core issue will not succeed nor receive its blessing,” said the risk consultancy Eurasia Group in a statement Friday. “As a result, a minister’s resignation will be viewed as somewhat constructive but largely irrelevant to the much larger issue at hand.”Prospects of significant financial assistance to Lebanon are therefore dim, the group said.That crisis has added to immense economic troubles facing Lebanon, already mired in a financial meltdown. Following Kordahi’s televised comments, the kingdom recalled its ambassador from Beirut and banned all Lebanese imports, affecting hundreds of businesses and cutting off hundreds of millions in foreign currency to Lebanon.That aggravated Lebanon’s economic crisis, the worst in its modern history, which has plunged more than three quarters of the nation’s population of 6 million, including a million Syrian refugees, into poverty.The Saudi measures have caused anxiety, particularly among hundreds of thousands of Lebanese who work in the Gulf Arab countries and send home millions of dollars every year.For weeks, Kordahi, backed by Hezbollah and its allies, refused to resign, saying the comments were made before he was named minister and that he meant no offense.On Friday, he said he was resigning even though he was unconvinced that this was needed, adding that “Lebanon does not deserve this treatment” from Saudi Arabia.“Lebanon is more important than George Kordahi,” he said. “I hope that this resignation opens the window” for better relations with Gulf Arab countries.
READ: Lebanese are gripped by worry as economic meltdown speeds up
Prime Minister Najib Mikati welcomed Kordahi’s resignation, saying it was “necessary” and “could open the door for tackling the problem with the brothers in the kingdom and the Gulf nations.”On Hezbollah’s Al-Manar TV, Kordahi was hailed as a “national hero” who stepped down for the national good, without changing his views.In his remarks that triggered the spat, Kordahi said in a televised interview that the war in Yemen was futile and called it an aggression by the Saudi-led coalition. The conflict began with the 2014 takeover of Yemen’s capital, Sanaa, by the Houthi rebels, who control much of the country’s north. The Saudi-led coalition entered the war the following year, determined to restore the internationally recognized government and oust the rebels.The standoff with Saudi Arabia has further paralyzed Lebanon’s government, which has been unable to convene since Oct. 12 amid reports that ministers allied with Hezbollah would resign if Kordahi goes.Mikati’s government is embroiled in another crisis, triggered when Hezbollah protested the course of the state’s investigation into the massive Beirut port explosion last year. It criticized Tarek Bitar, the judge leading the investigation, saying his probe was politicized, and called on the government to ensure his removal. Local media reported there were mediations to trade Bitar’s removal from the probe with Kordahi’s resignation.Macron, who is due in Riyadh on Saturday, backs Mikati’s government and has taken the lead among the international community in helping the small Mideast country, a former French protectorate.“I understood that the French want my resignation before Macron visits Riyadh, which would help, maybe in opening the way for dialogue,” Kordahi said. He did not elaborate, though he had earlier said he was seeking guarantees that his stepping down would ease tensions with the kingdom.A senior official from the French presidency, speaking to reporters earlier this week, said Macron will discuss strengthening cooperation with Saudi Arabia and other Gulf Arab countries “to prevent Lebanon from sinking even further.” The official spoke Tuesday on condition of anonymity in line with policy.After accepting Kordahi’s resignation, Mikati called on his Cabinet to convene and end the deadlock that has paralyzed the government for weeks.Salem Zahran, a Lebanese analyst, said Kordahi’s resignation may be a “ticket” to jump-start French mediation with Saudi Arabia on Lebanon's behalf but is unlikely to change much domestically. A parliament session is expected Tuesday, with a discussion about the government paralysis because of the port investigation on the agenda.
Don’t waste food as crisis looms over many countries: Hasina
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Saturday urged all to stop wasting food as many countries in the world are going to face a famine-like situation.
“Wasting food has to be reduced. There’s a scarcity of food on one side of the world and heavy wasting on the other… there shouldn’t be any food wasting,” she said.
Sheikh Hasina said this while addressing the World Food Day held at Hotel InterContinental joining from her official residence Ganobhaban.
The theme of this year is “Our actions are our future -- Better production, better nutrition, a better environment and a better life”.
The Prime Minister urged scientists to think about the reuse of excess food and conduct research in this regard.
READ: Hasina calls for hunting down culprits of Cumilla incident
She asked all to remain vigil so that Bangladesh never runs into a food crisis and no one can conspire to push the country into a famine. “All need to be watchful. Inshallah, we’ll fulfil the demand for food and ensure food security.”
Hasina added that there will be no food scarcity in the country as the government has taken numerous programmes and projects in this regard.
Underlining the importance of research, she said, “Research works need to be carried forward as this is a continuous process.”
Talking about various types of research-driven inventions that the Bangladeshi scientists achieved, including drought resilience and flood resilience rice for ensuring food security in the country, she said, “I think the scientists of Bangladesh are the best in the world.”
The Prime Minister said the government has introduced a land zoning system to protect arable lands of the country. “We’ll surely go for development but by preserving the arable lands,” she said.
Hasina mentioned that the government is taking various types of preparations so that the country does not lag behind in food production during the upcoming fourth industrial revolution.
“Our aim is to ensure food security along with nutrition. For that, we’ve given importance to protein production,” Hasina said.
READ: Unesco-Bangabandhu Prize: Hasina to visit France in mid-Nov
Briefly describing the remarkable success in Bangladesh’s food production in the last 12 years, Hasina said Bangladesh will export food items to earn foreign exchange after fulfilling the local demand.
Food Minister Sadhan Chandra Majumder, Agriculture Minister Dr. Muhammad Abdur Razzaque, Fisheries and Livestock Minister SM Rezaul Karim and Senior Secretary of Agriculture Minister Md Mesbahul Islam also spoke at the event.
A documentary on food production of the country was screened at the programme.
Hasina also unveiled a book titled ‘Agricultural Development in Bangladesh’ and a portrait of Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman with a new variety of paddy ‘Bangabandhu Rice-100’ invented by BIRRI scientists.
The Prime Minister also directed all concerned to give due importance to marketing and processing of agriculture products alongside boosting their production.
She urged the farmers to utilize their land saying that not a single inch of land should be left uncultivated.
Elaborating various agriculture and farmer-friendly measures taken by her government during 1996-2001 and since 2009, Hasina said Bangladesh has now become a self-reliant country in food production due to the various pragmatic steps.
The Prime Minister expressed satisfaction that the production of vegetables, fruits, onions, dairy and other agriculture items has increased substantially and those are now available throughout the year.
Besides, she said, Bangladesh now ranks 11th in the world in terms of food production due to the coordinated efforts of the scientists, farmers and time-befitting steps of the government,
Hasina mentioned that all concerned will have to focus on quality and standard of food products and their processing, not only for the country but also for their exports.
No Covid vaccine crisis in the country, says Quader
Awami League General Secretary Obaidul Quader on Monday said that the government has now enough Covid vaccine in hand to start a nationwide mass inoculation from next Saturday.
At a briefing at his residence the AL leader said there is no vaccine crisis in the country and urged the people not to heed any propaganda by vested interests.
"There is no crisis of the vaccine at present, but a vested quarter is trying to create panic that there is a vaccine crisis. They are also trying to break the morale of the people during the pandemic," he said.
Also read: Mask more effective than Covid vaccine: Quader
Quader said the government's plan is to continue vaccination with the doses available as more jabs will come.
Saying that “There is no room for doubt about this,” he further explained that the vaccine will continue to come in one direction as well as the vaccination programme will continue.
Quader, road transport and bridges minister, said the nationwide mass immunization programme is starting from August 7 and the government has already made necessary preparations to make the campaign successful through proper coordination.
He urged the concerned people to follow the vaccination protocol and be patient in conducting the drive among the villagers.
Quader called upon the administration to make inoculation drive a success at with co-operation of Awami League leaders at district, upazila, municipality, union and ward levels. .
Mentioning that Awami League has been by the side of the people since the beginning of the coronavirus outbreak, Quader said that the leaders and workers of the party will remain with the people as per the instructions of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.
Quader defended the re-opening of garment factories even amid lockdown saying it was done in the interest of the economy.
In this regard he attacked BNP General Secretary Fakhrul Islam Alamgir for his criticism of the government move. Fakhrul speaks of workers’ interests, while at the same opposes re-opening the factories, he said adding this is self-contradictory.
He said Vietnam has already overtaken Bangladesh in garment exports and this has happened due to Covid-induced production disruptions.
Also read: No irregularity in providing govt incentives to be tolerated, warns Quader
He also said the government is taking decisions in consultation with experts considering the future and welfare of the country.
Boycotting Israeli Products: Is It Practically Possible?
The long-running conflict between Israel and Palestine took an even more violent turn recently as the two states practically went into a state of war with each other. With the recent escalation of conflict, the global response has been somewhat mixed. Most of the western countries including the European leaders are supporting Israel’s right to self-defense. Muslim countries and the coalition of OIC have been vocal about the atrocities carried out by Israel in the occupied lands of Gaza where Palestinian residents have been forcefully removed from their homes. In addition to that, there have been massive airstrikes carried out by Israel that have killed civilians in the hundreds to which Hamas also retaliated with airstrikes. As most of the developed countries turn a blind eye to the plight of the Palestinian people, there has been a global call to boycott Israeli products as a form of protest.
What is the impact of boycotting Israeli products?
Since its foundation in 1948 after the end of the British mandate and proclamation of the Jewish state, Israel set itself on a prolific development course. The initial years weren’t easy as it had to combat economic recession combined with refugee intake from Europe. However, the state took a keen interest in technological advancement as well as exporting locally produced goods and brands.
Their advancement in the tech field including computer hardware, software as well as spyware made them a key exporter of these goods in western countries like the USA, UK, Hong Kong, and China. With a huge volume of export of local as well as international brand products sourced in Israel, the net exports hold almost 29% of the GDP of Israel. Boycotting Israeli products lands a huge blow to the percentage share as well as the economy of Israel.
Read Palestinian minister: Cease-fire in Gaza is `not enough’
What are the Israeli products and brands?
Before we get into the details of products and brands you need to understand that some of these brands are not directly owned or operated by the state of Israel; neither are they owned by an Israeli corporation or owner. Rather they source the products or use Israeli Logistics to produce the commodities and sell them worldwide.
Though technically not an Israeli product, they do help the Israeli cause and contribute to the overall economic development of Israel. Procter and Gamble, the notable mother brand of products like Gillette, Pampers, Olay, and Oral-B have considerable ties with Israel. Pampers, one of their successful diaper range is sourced exclusively from Avgol, an Israeli company with factories in the occupied West Bank area. Intel also has plants in Tel-Aviv which manufactures a share of their global chipset supply.
Notable construction brands like Caterpillar supplies armored tanks to Israel which is an essential element of their field military strength. The retail and consumer sub-brand of Caterpillar, CAT also sources and holds a considerable investment in the state of Israel. Hewlett-Packard, commonly known as HP was one of the first western companies to establish a business hub in Israel back in 1994. To this day, HP holds a significant foreign investment in Israel and has been a key player in the tech revolution of the state.
Other notable brands like SodaStream, Puma, McDonald's, Motorola, and Volvo also share economic ties with Israel as well as sourcing their product through factories in the occupied area.
The technological advancements of Israel saw them take a strong position in the internet business scene as well. Popular websites like deviant art and website building tools like Wix are all based in Israel. One of the biggest freelancing platforms of the world Fiverr is also owned and operated from Israel with its headquarter in Tel-Aviv.
These are just a few notable international products that are used on a global scale in almost all the countries of the world. However, there are tens and thousands of Israeli products that are relatively less known but are an important contributing factor to the economy of Israel. You can check for the barcode of a product and if it starts with 729, it is designated to be a product from Israel.
Read Israel approves unilateral cease-fire in Gaza offensive
Why is it challenging to boycott Israeli products?
The state of Israel has always pioneered innovation and development of critical and crucial products across a range of sectors. As we have mentioned before, the advancement of Israel in the field of technology has been immense. From crucial car navigation system like Waze to optical heart rate monitor that enables smartwatches to monitor heart rate, all of these technologies were developed in Israel.
Not just these, global social hubs like Facebook or popular search engines like Google and Bing all use components made in Israel to optimize their network and service. The proprietary company Mellanox has been a key supplier of these components.
Other innovations like the mobile camera to portable disk drives, all of these technological milestones trace back their origin to Israel. From a western point of view, with such deep-rooted ties to everyday life, it is almost impossible to boycott Israeli products.
Read Want to help Palestinians? Now there is a way
How can you boycott products from Bangladesh?
Contrary to popular belief, some of the products that you might see making rounds on social media don’t share any ties with Israel and as a result, you have no reason to boycott them. Bangladesh is also the only country to not share any form of economic or diplomatic ties with Israel so our government doesn’t act as a benefactor in any way.
Though not directly available, some of the international brand products that we mentioned above are still available in the country with the products of P&G being the most widely available one. You can find an alternative to these products either sourced locally or from brands that don’t share any ties with Israel if you want to contribute to the cause.
Read Address Palestinian issue: Bangladesh to UN Security Council
Bottom Line
The conflict of Israel and Palestine is long-standing and one that has caused a heavy toll on life and humanitarian crisis. Where the most form of protest is limited to condemnation of the atrocities alone, many have called for the boycott of the products to show solidarity with the people of Palestine and their cause. That is about as much that can be done from a civilian point of view unless the ongoing crisis is resolved once and for all.
Bangladesh stands by Nepal in its Covid-19 crisis
Foreign Minister Dr AK Abdul Momen and Health and Family Welfare Minister Zahid Maleque on Tuesday handed over medicines and health protection items to the Nepalese Ambassador in Dhaka Dr Banshidhor Mishra for the COVID affected people of Nepal amid the deteriorating situation in the Himalayan nation.
The Ministers handed over the items at a brief ceremony at State guesthouse Padma.
The Foreign Minister handed over a token box of Remdisivir Injection manufactured by BEXIMCO Pharma to the Ambassador as part of 5000 vials of Remdisivir to Nepal from SAARC COVID Emergency Fund created at the instruction of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.
The Remdisivir was transported by Himalayan Airlines to Kathmandu on Tuesday, as arranged by the Nepalese Embassy in Dhaka.
Also read: Doctors in Nepal warn of major crisis as virus cases surge
The Health Minister handed over token boxes of Hydroxychloroquine tablets manufactured by Essential Drugs Company, PPE and masks for the friendly Nepalese people.
The Health Ministry is sending a substantive volume of these items which will be transported to Nepal by the Nepalese Embassy soon.
Foreign Secretary Masud Bin Momen and Health Services Division Secretary Lokman Hossain Miah were also present.
US, China agree to cooperate on climate crisis with urgency
The United States and China, the world’s two biggest carbon polluters, agreed to cooperate to curb climate change with urgency, just days before President Joe Biden hosts a virtual summit of world leaders to discuss the issue.
The agreement was reached by U.S. special envoy for climate John Kerry and his Chinese counterpart Xie Zhenhua during two days of talks in Shanghai last week, according to a joint statement.
The two countries “are committed to cooperating with each other and with other countries to tackle the climate crisis, which must be addressed with the seriousness and urgency that it demands,” the statement said.
China and the United States are the world’s top carbon polluters, pumping out nearly half of the fossil fuel fumes that are warming the planet’s atmosphere. Their cooperation is key to a success of global efforts to curb climate change, but frayed ties over human rights, trade and China’s territorial claims to Taiwan and the South China Sea have been threatening to undermine such efforts.
Kerry’s Shanghai trip marked the highest-level travel to China by a U.S. official since Biden took office in January. From Shaghai, the former secretary of state flew to South Korea for talks.
Biden has invited 40 world leaders, including Chinese President Xi Jinping, to the April 22-23 summit. The U.S. and other countries are expected to announce more ambitious national targets for cutting carbon emissions ahead of or at the meeting, along with pledging financial help for climate efforts by less wealthy nations.
It’s unclear how much Kerry’s China visit would promote U.S.-China cooperation on climate issues.
When Kerry was still in Shanghai, Chinese Vice Foreign Minister Le Yucheng signaled Friday that China is unlikely to make any new pledges at next week’s summit.
“For a big country with 1.4 billion people, these goals are not easily delivered,” Le said during an interview with The Associated Press in Beijing. “Some countries are asking China to achieve the goals earlier. I am afraid this is not very realistic.”
On whether Xi would join the summit, Le said “the Chinese side is actively studying the matter.” The joint statement said the two countries “look forward to” next week’s summit but didn’t say whether Xi would attend.
Also read: Bangladesh, US to work together to address challenges of climate change
During a video meeting with German and French leaders Friday, Xi said that climate change “should not become a geopolitical chip, a target for attacking other countries or an excuse for trade barriers,” though he called for closer cooperation on the issue, the official Xinhua News Agency reported.
Biden, who has said that fighting global warming is among his highest priorities, had the United States rejoin the Paris climate accord in the first hours of his presidency, undoing the U.S. withdrawal ordered by predecessor Donald Trump.
Major emitters of greenhouse gases are preparing for the next U.N. climate summit taking place in Glasgow, U.K., in November. The summit aims to relaunch global efforts to keep rising global temperatures to below 1.5 degrees Celsius (2.7 degrees Fahrenheit) as agreed in the Paris accord.
According to the U.S.-China statement, the two countries would enhance “their respective actions and cooperating in multilateral processes, including the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change and the Paris Agreement.”
It said both countries also intend to develop their respective long-term strategies before the Glasgow conference and take “appropriate actions to maximize international investment and finance in support of the transition from carbon-intensive fossil fuel based energy to green, low-carbon and renewable energy in developing countries.”
Also read: Make no mistake; take action: Kerry on dealing with climate crisis together
Xi announced last year that China would be carbon-neutral by 2060 and aims to reach a peak in its emissions by 2030. In March, China’s Communist Party pledged to reduce carbon emissions per unit of economic output by 18% over the next five years, in line with its goal for the previous five-year period. But environmentalists say China needs to do more.
Biden has pledged the U.S. will switch to an emissions-free power sector within 14 years, and have an entirely emissions-free economy by 2050. Kerry is also pushing other nations to commit to carbon neutrality by then.
Philippine volcano simmers, officials brace for long crisis
Philippine officials said Saturday they're bracing for a long crisis whether the Taal volcano erupts more disastrously or simmers precariously for weeks or months, as massive numbers of displaced villagers languish in emergency shelters.