By William James
LONDON (Reuters) – Britain’s energy minister is visiting Beijing on Friday to discuss climate and energy issues, hoping that re-engaging with China – both the world’s largest carbon emitter and supplier of renewable energy infrastructure – will bring economic benefits.
Ed Miliband will meet Chinese energy and environment ministers during his March 14-17 visit and launch a framework for climate talks that would see his counterparts from Beijing visit London later this year, the government said in a statement.
Miliband will seek to update a decade-old clean energy partnership with China, outlining areas where Britain wants to collaborate, including carbon capture and storage technology and hydrogen power generation.
Britain is hoping its target to shift almost entirely to clean energy sources by the end of the decade will benefit from closer ties with China, which is the largest global supplier of, and investor in, renewable energy infrastructure.
At the same time, Miliband wants his ambitious decarbonisation target to rub off on Chinese policy, with the government promising to share its expertise on phasing out the use of coal, which China still heavily relies upon.
“We can only keep future generations safe from climate change if all major emitters act,” Miliband said.
“It is simply an act of negligence to today’s and future generations not to engage China on how it can play its part in taking action on climate.”
The visit is the latest by a senior British minister – following in the footsteps of foreign and finance ministers in recent months – as Prime Minister Keir Starmer seeks to reset relations with Beijing after a fractious decline under the previous British government.
The Starmer government’s approach to China is based around the mantra often repeated by ministers: “cooperating where we can, competing where we need to, and challenging where we must.”
Miliband will “engage frankly” on Britain’s concerns about forced labour, human rights and freedoms in Hong Kong and China’s support for Russia’s war in Ukraine, the British government said.
(Reporting by William James and Susanna Twidale; Editing by Christina Fincher)
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