US House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi's visit to Taiwan this week, however, has prompted Beijing to end cooperation with the United States on several key issues.
Cooperation between the two countries is essential on all of the world's"most pressing problems," UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres' press secretary told reporters on Friday . "Is this a tactical move or is it a longer term strategic move?" questioned Meyer."Is China saying the cooperation is impossible as long as there are tensions between the US and China?"Earth's temperature has risen by an average of nearly 1.2 degrees Celsius from pre-industrial levels, multiplying heat waves, droughts, floods and storms on all continents.
IPCC author Francois Gemenne called China's decision a"total disaster for the climate... comparable to the US withdrawal from the Paris agreement," which aims to limit end-of-century warming to well below two degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels - and preferably not beyond 1.5 degrees. Mohamed Adow, founder of the Power Shift Africa energy think tank echoed that sentiment, adding that"breaking off diplomacy doesn't mean China is backtracking on its commitments," particularly as,"in many respects, China is way ahead of the US when it comes to action on climate change".