Boris Johnson invites Chinese President to climate summit in what would be major diplomatic coup
BORIS Johnson has personally invited Chinese President Xi to attend a climate summit in what would be a major diplomatic coup.
The PM encouraged the Chinese leader to come to COP26 in Glasgow later this year, and also offered his sympathies over the Coronavirus outbreak – weeks after he was scolded by his father, Stanley.
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In a call Tuesday morning Boris Johnson and Xi Jinping also spoke about the two nations’ “economic partnership” in the wake of the PM's decision to use Huawei in Britain’s 5G network, and rumoured Chinese involvement in the construction of HS2.
A No10 spokesman told The Sun that all countries who are party to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change will be invited to attend COP26 – including China.
The spokesman added: “The Prime Minister and President Xi discussed the COP26 summit in Glasgow and the Prime Minister said he would be pleased if the President were able to attend.
“Ahead of COP26 in Glasgow and the Convention on Biological Diversity summit in China, the two leaders resolved to work closely together on the issue of climate change.
“They agreed that biodiversity and climate change are two sides of the same coin and must be addressed in tandem if we’re to protect the planet for future generations.”
It would be the first such summit President Xi has attended since Paris – COP21 – in 2015.
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Amid the continuing spread of Coronavirus, the Chinese leader thanked the PM for his support and the donation of medical equipment from the UK.
Two weeks ago Boris Johnson’s dad Stanley, 79, sent an email to the BBC by accident saying the Chinese ambassador was “concerned that there had not yet – so he asserted – been direct contact between the PM and Chinese head of state or government in terms of a personal message or telephone call.”
But the PM and President Xi also discussed the countries working together to build better economic relations, with the spokesman adding: “The Prime Minister and President agreed on the importance of the UK-China relationship and resolved to work together across a range of issues including strengthening the economic partnership, to benefit the people of both China and the UK.”
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