In response to the Trump Administration's climate disengagement, the EU and China have both confirmed their commitment to implement the Paris Climate Agreement, as Europeans indicated at the end of the 19th EU-China summit on Friday 2 June (see EUROPE 11801). Despite this, the plan for a joint statement on the climate and clean energy was not adopted, contrary to what EUROPE reported and to what many observers believed.
The reason is that China again asked to be able to have WTO market economy status. This news went unspoken at the final press conference, but it was clearly confirmed by the European Commission on Tuesday 6 June (due to the Pentecost bank holiday weekend), in response to questions from European press. The Commission nevertheless tried to play it down.
The Commission's chief spokesperson Margaritis Schinas said that there is agreement on the basis, and that the EU and China have stated publicly that they remain committed to implementing the Paris Agreement. "There is no joint statement. On the essence, there was agreement. It's not very important what the instruments are", Schinas said.
Environment must not be taken hostage. At the European Parliament, on the other hand, Franck Proust MEP (EPP, France), who is a member of the international trade committee, was outraged on Friday evening that the joint statement seemed to have been taken hostage at such a crucial time for the future of the global fight against climate change.
"It was to be expected! Despite the opportunity for a strong statement on the climate in response to Donald Trump's decision to withdraw from the Paris Agreement, China decided to highlight its interests by asking for its market economy status (MES) to be recognised. The European Parliament has neverthless been clear – China will not have MES and this is no longer an issue. This recognition is over", he said, adding: "the environment must not be taken hostage to American untruths or Chinese trade whims". (Original version in French by Aminata Niang)