Aside from US President Biden’s meetings with world leaders ahead of the G20 and COP26 summits, the focus is also on some other players, including Chinese leader Xi Jinping and UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson, who just had a telephone conversation on Friday, according to Chinese state media Xinhua.
The call between the two leaders comes as China confirmed Xi would be addressing the G20 via video link. Xi has not traveled abroad during the pandemic.
They had an “extensive conversation,” a Downing Street spokesperson confirmed, adding that the discussion focused on issues including “the climate crisis ahead of COP26, global trade and economic cooperation, and security and human rights.”
Johnson emphasized “the importance of all countries stepping up their ambition on climate change at COP26 and taking concrete action to cut emissions and expedite the transition to renewable energy, including phasing out coal,” according to Downing Street.
“At the same time, they agreed to cooperate on areas of shared interest, such as developing clean and green technology and supporting the sustainable recovery of the global economy,” the spokesperson added.
Johnson also acknowledged China’s new Nationally Determined Contribution, and “welcomed the country’s work on the COP15 Biodiversity Summit, noting how critical protecting nature is to our overall climate objectives,” according to the statement.
The two leaders also spoke about “wider international security issues,” which included the situation in Afghanistan, and recognized that “there were areas of disagreement and difficulty in the bilateral relationship.”