US Must Dispel Pelosi’s ‘Negative Influence’ before Climate Talks, Says China

In this photo released by the Taiwan Presidential Office, US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, left, and Taiwanese President President Tsai Ing-wen wave during a meeting in Taipei, Taiwan, Wednesday, Aug. 3, 2022. (Taiwan Presidential Office via AP, File)
In this photo released by the Taiwan Presidential Office, US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, left, and Taiwanese President President Tsai Ing-wen wave during a meeting in Taipei, Taiwan, Wednesday, Aug. 3, 2022. (Taiwan Presidential Office via AP, File)
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US Must Dispel Pelosi’s ‘Negative Influence’ before Climate Talks, Says China

In this photo released by the Taiwan Presidential Office, US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, left, and Taiwanese President President Tsai Ing-wen wave during a meeting in Taipei, Taiwan, Wednesday, Aug. 3, 2022. (Taiwan Presidential Office via AP, File)
In this photo released by the Taiwan Presidential Office, US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, left, and Taiwanese President President Tsai Ing-wen wave during a meeting in Taipei, Taiwan, Wednesday, Aug. 3, 2022. (Taiwan Presidential Office via AP, File)

China said on Wednesday that a condition for the resumption of bilateral climate talks with the United States was Washington dispelling the "negative influence" left by US House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi's visit to Taiwan earlier this month.

In response to the visit on Aug. 2-3, China on Aug. 5 suspended bilateral cooperation with the United States in a number of areas, including climate talks and dialogue between senior-level military commanders.

US Special Envoy on Climate Change John Kerry, who earlier this month said the suspension of bilateral climate talks punished the entire world, urged Chinese President Xi Jinping on Tuesday, in an interview with the Financial Times, to resume the discussions.

The former US Secretary of State, who is currently the Biden administration's top climate diplomat, also told the newspaper he was hopeful the countries could "get back together" ahead of the United Nations' COP27 climate summit in November in the Egyptian resort of Sharm el-Sheikh.

China, which claims the self-ruled island of Taiwan as its own territory, responded to Kerry's remarks on Wednesday by stating the resumption of climate talks with the United States was dependent on actions taken by Washington to address the "negative influence" of Pelosi's Taiwan visit.

"The US side should dispel the negative influence of Pelosi scuttling to Taiwan, this is an indispensable condition of China-US climate change cooperation," China's foreign ministry said in a written statement sent to Reuters.

The statement also said China would continue to actively participate in international forums on climate change.

Beijing's response highlights the divergent approaches to global climate change cooperation between the world's two superpowers.

While officials in the Biden administration, including Kerry, have repeatedly expressed hope that US-China cooperation on climate change would not be affected by tensions on other fronts, Beijing has rejected any separating of issues in US-China relations.

White House national security spokesman John Kirby told reporters the two countries' militaries could still communicate even at lower levels in "areas where contention can run high," such as in the South China Sea and the Taiwan Strait, but that channels on climate and narcotics were still shut down.

"That's really unfortunate because ... particularly on fentanyl and climate, there's a global impact here for the two largest economies in the world to not have an ability to collaborate," Kirby said.



US Condemns ‘Dangerous’ Maneuvers by Chinese Navy in South China Sea 

An aircraft identified by the Philippine Coast Guard as Chinese Navy helicopter (L) flies near the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) plane during an aerial reconnaissance flight at Scarborough Shoal in the South China Sea on February 18, 2025. (AFP)
An aircraft identified by the Philippine Coast Guard as Chinese Navy helicopter (L) flies near the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) plane during an aerial reconnaissance flight at Scarborough Shoal in the South China Sea on February 18, 2025. (AFP)
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US Condemns ‘Dangerous’ Maneuvers by Chinese Navy in South China Sea 

An aircraft identified by the Philippine Coast Guard as Chinese Navy helicopter (L) flies near the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) plane during an aerial reconnaissance flight at Scarborough Shoal in the South China Sea on February 18, 2025. (AFP)
An aircraft identified by the Philippine Coast Guard as Chinese Navy helicopter (L) flies near the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) plane during an aerial reconnaissance flight at Scarborough Shoal in the South China Sea on February 18, 2025. (AFP)

The United States condemned the "dangerous" maneuvers of a Chinese navy helicopter that endangered the safety of a Philippine government aircraft patrolling a disputed shoal in the South China Sea, its ambassador to Manila said on Wednesday.

In a post on X, Ambassador MaryKay Carlson also called on China "to refrain from coercive actions and settle its disputes peacefully in accordance with international law."

The Philippines said late on Tuesday it was "deeply disturbed" by the Chinese navy's "unprofessional and reckless" flight actions and that it will make a diplomatic protest.

Manila's coast guard said the Chinese navy helicopter performed dangerous flight maneuvers when it flew close to a government aircraft conducting surveillance over the Scarborough Shoal, endangering the lives of its pilots and passengers, actions.

China disputed the Philippines' account, saying on Tuesday its aircraft "illegally intruded" into China's airspace and accused its Southeast Asian neighbor of "spreading false narratives".

Named after a British ship that was grounded on the atoll nearly three centuries ago, the Scarborough Shoal is one of the most contested maritime feature in the South China Sea, where Beijing and Manila have clashed repeatedly.

"The Philippines has undeniable sovereignty and jurisdiction over Bajo de Masinloc," its maritime council said in a statement using Manila's name for the shoal.

China claims sovereignty over almost the entire South China Sea, a vital waterway for more than $3 trillion of annual ship-borne commerce, putting it at odds with Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, and Vietnam.

A 2016 arbitration ruling invalidated China's expansive claim, but Beijing does not recognize the decision.