US, China climate envoys to 'meet later' at UN summit

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Andrew Feinberg

White House Correspondent

U.S. climate envoy John Kerry indicated on Tuesday he'll be in talks with his Chinese counterpart at annual United Nations climate talks underway in Egypt, in the latest sign of improving relations between the world's top two polluters after a meeting between the two nations' leaders Monday.

When asked if he would be meeting with China’s top climate official Xie Zhenhua on Tuesday, Kerry told The Associated Press that “I will meet with him sometime later,” without being more specific. “We’re able to talk, we'll see what happens,” he said.

Chinese President Xi Jinping agreed a day earlier to resume climate change talks with the United States. Xi had put those contacts on hold three months earlier in retaliation for House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s trip to Taiwan.

Also Tuesday, Ugandan climate activist Vanessa Nakate slammed world leaders who persist in backing new fossil fuel projects despite science warnings that this will push temperatures across the planet to dangerous highs.

Nakate's comments came as negotiators at the conference haggle over numerous thorny issues including increasing efforts to cut greenhouse gases and providing more financial help to poor nations.

Ministers began arriving in Sharm el-Sheikh on Monday to provide a push for the meeting to clinch a substantial deal by its schedule close on Friday.

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