Pelosi: China, US "Cannot Miss" Chance To Fight Climate Change

BEIJING — U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, a frequent, fierce critic of China, called for U.S.-Chinese cooperation to fight climate change in a speech Tuesday that skirted human rights and other contentious issues.

Pelosi's comments to an audience of Chinese and American officials and businesspeople stressed common environmental interests _ an approach that fits with President Barack Obama's emphasis on engagement with Beijing, rather than confrontation.

"We believe China and the United States can and must confront the challenge of climate change together," Pelosi said. Noting that the two countries are the world's biggest emitters of gases blamed for climate change, she said, "we have a responsibility to ourselves, to our country, to our people and to the world to work together on this."

The leading Democratic lawmaker's visit is part of a flurry of contacts between Washington and Beijing that highlight their wide-ranging cooperation on issues including North Korea's nuclear program and combatting the global economic slump. Next week, Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner travels to Beijing in part to ease Chinese concerns about the health of the dollar and thus the value of China's holdings of U.S. government debt.

Underscoring the shift in emphasis was Pelosi's change in tone. For nearly 20 years, the California Democrat has frequently criticized Beijing over human rights and opposed giving the authoritarian government normal trading rights and the Olympics.

Pelosi, who leaves Beijing on Thursday for Hong Kong, mentioned human rights glancingly, though she said in a speech in Shanghai on Monday that she would "continue to speak out for human rights in China and around the world."

Climate change is an issue the Obama administration has chosen as a new area for cooperation with China.

Pelosi told the business forum that working together on climate change could transform U.S.-Chinese relations.

"It is an opportunity that we cannot miss," Pelosi told the audience, which included a former Chinese foreign minister and China's ambassador to Washington. The event was organized by the American Chamber of Commerce in China and the U.S.-China Clean Energy Forum, an industry group.

Pelosi brought with her five members of a House committee on energy policy and global warming. She has promised to press for passage of climate legislation this year, and Obama has said that he wants a bill. A bill that would impose the first U.S. litmus test on greenhouse gas emissions was approved by a House committee last week, a step being considered by the full House later this year.

While welcoming calls for cooperation, the Chinese government has publicly said that global warming is largely the responsibility of rich nations, who should provide funds and technologies for developing countries to cut carbon emissions.

Pelosi's delegation included Rep. Ed Markey, a Democrat from Massachusetts and committee chairman; Rep. James Sensenbrenner, a Republican from Wisconsin and ranking committee member; Rep. Earl Blumenauer, a Democrat from Oregon; Rep. Jay Inslee, a Democrat from Washington; and Rep. Jackie Speier, a Democrat from California.

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On the Net:

U.S.-China Clean Energy Forum: cleanenergyforum.net

American Chamber of Commerce in China: http://www.amcham-china.org.cn

Comments

[FairTalk]

09:40 AM on 05/29/2009

I think Obama sent her there to demonstrate to China that his administration has changed, and is not going to use the human rights China bashing approach. However, based on my observations, she is getting the cold shoulder over there. No self respecting Chinese official wants to be seen with her. Maybe China will require her to visit the Serf Emancipation Exibit in Beijing? Or even the Nanjing Massacre Museum. I think Obama needs to go to China, before he makes any more assumptions, and misteps, with China.

[RGiampa]

12:58 PM on 05/27/2009

Yes, of course we nations need to collaborate, but let's face it, if global warming is as urgent an issue as some experts say, we shouldn't be waiting around for our government or anyone else's to act. The biggest emitters ought to be categorized by industry not country and then they should step up to the plate and make changes before they're forced to. There's an article about the role corporations could play on the Earthkeeper blog at: http://bit.ly/1CXfH http://bitly.com/China_emissions.
Robin Giampa, Timberland

[Javani]

06:26 PM on 05/26/2009

Want to understand why Kerry and Pelosi are in China? See this Bloomberg article-

http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601130&sid=aO5MeXOTuRdU

""Under President Barack Obama, “the U.S. is committed to move ahead on climate action pretty much regardless of what others do,” Alden Meyer, director of policy at the Washington- based Union of Concerned Scientists, said today in a telephone interview. Even so, for the Senate to ratify a new treaty “it’s important that there be a perception that there’s meaningful action by developing countries like China.”

Meyer’s comments echo remarks earlier today in Beijing by U.S. Senator John Kerry, who said: “What is critical is that we can measure what China is doing to meet standards, in other words, what’s done is measurable, reportable and verifiable.” "

Translation: the Senate opponents are using the "China doesn't have to do anything" card. Which is true. The proponents are desperate to get something from China, but they see America as weak. And they are making plenty of phony carbon offset profits off Europe. That's the other subtext in Kerry's comment--not only do the opponent Senators say China doesn't have to comply, even if they promise to do so, they will cheat.

Pelosi will trade in every single credit for supporting human rights in order to get China to say something for the corrupt cap and trade.

[JnrNorman]

03:44 PM on 05/26/2009

Pelosi is poor leadership she cant be trusted.
Obama is a dirty coal lover with corn subsidies for GMO seeds and pesticides and chemical fertilizers!
LEGALIZE HEMP Obama and Pelosi wont advocate for it.

[DesertDogAlpha]

02:34 PM on 05/26/2009

Let's be clear. The Chinese will get on board the climate change train when their per capita carbon footprint is the same as that of the United States. Right now it is about 25 percent as large. So one of three things will happen:
1. Chinese production of CO2 will go up four-fold, or
2. US production of CO2 will go down to a quarter of what it is now (right...), or
3. The US will send massive amounts of money to China to subsidize them in their carbon footprint efforts.

Which one do you like? To the Chinese, who aspire to the level of prosperity not enjoyed in the US, it is hypocritical of the US to tell it to do better when we are four times worse as American individuals.

Speaker Nancy could suggest California as a test bed for such cuts (until her next election effort).

[Chic Bowdrie]

05:24 PM on 05/26/2009

I like the CA test bed proposal. Here's another one: try out the carbon tax credit plan among the members of the House. The one's with the largest footprint will have to give money to those with lesser ones. Also, only the richest House members will have to pay. Poor House members with a large carbon footprint will be excused until their wealth is equal to that of their richer colleagues.

[FairTalk]

09:35 AM on 05/29/2009

Good points. But I do think China is moving asap to develop clean energy. They do appear to be ahead of us on this.

[vie2012ne]

01:23 PM on 05/26/2009

I heard that Plastosi distrusts China because when you take out the "h" and the "n", you get CIA.

[atlantajoe]

12:53 PM on 05/26/2009

And the problem with Pelosi is she thinks China will listen to her. She said on TV that she is trying to save the world. I think she just wants cap & trade.

[TJCole]

11:57 AM on 05/26/2009

How about China doing something about it's huge wasteful Coal Seam Fires which follow the pollution band all the way to California...and are equal in output of CO2 to all the cars and light trucks in the United States if not greater now..?

[FairTalk]

09:33 AM on 05/29/2009

You mean like the fires under all the cities and towns in PA?

[KPinSEA]

10:09 AM on 05/26/2009

""we have a responsibility to ourselves, to our country, to our people and to the world to work together on this ....... and that's why I flew 6,000 miles on an executive jet to tell you this instead of picking up the phone."

[atlantajoe]

12:55 PM on 05/26/2009

Pelosi sais she deserved to have a big jet because the speaker before her was a man and women should always have the same as a man. True leadership.

[mioffe]

09:21 AM on 05/26/2009

protagonia: “Humanity is splitting along these lines, between the well informed and the poorly informed.”
Dear protagonia, you are missing “well informed by wrong information”. This kind informed persons repeat mistakes of Al Gore and scientists who provide him with information. Usually they are belonging to Democrat or Republican parties.
As Democrat, as Republican for some reason make from science of global warming circus for debate.
If Democrat seeing only carbon dioxide as reason, Republican arguing about the same carbon dioxide. Republican is only diminishing role of mankind in producing carbon dioxide.
Please stop nonsense.
It is not only carbon dioxide or other GHG.
It is winds and their direction, which send hot air to cloud level.
It is reflection, which send short wave back to space.
It is huge convection forces.
It is cloud formation.
It is ocean streams.
It is properties of water and ice.