Will China’s new climate negotiator Zhao Yingmin be a breath of fresh air?
- Pollution control specialist is described as a practical, can-do figure but takes the helm at a moment of critical importance
- Beijing’s role is likely to face intense scrutiny in coming year after failure of Madrid UN talks and warnings that temperatures are rising more quickly that previously forecast
China’s new chief climate negotiator Zhao Yingmin has taken on the role at a time when the country’s policies are likely to face intense scrutiny in the year ahead.
The failure to reach agreement at the UN talks in Madrid this month is likely to heighten calls for someone to take the lead after the United States pulled out of a global agreement to limit emissions.
With scientists warning that the world is heating up more quickly than previously forecast, Beijing’s decisions could now prove critical.
Zhao, 55, is seen as having big shoes to fill after replacing Xie Zhenhua, a widely respected veteran who led the Chinese delegation for more than a decade, at the inconclusive Madrid talks, also known as the COP25 summit.
Zhao, an environment vice-minister, has plenty of experience in pollution control and people who have worked with him describe him as can-do and professional – attributes they hope will stand him in good stead during the “overly politicised” negotiations that lie ahead.
