China says Xi not offered option of delivering video remarks at UN climate summit

China says its president, Xi Jinping, was not offered the option of delivering video remarks at a United Nations climate change summit. 

Beijing said last week that Xi would take part in COP26 in Glasgow, Scotland, via video link, The Guardian reported at the time, ending speculation as to whether he would attend.

Xi is not attending the summit in person, but he delivered a written statement on Monday that was published to the conference’s website to mark the opening of the COP26’s “high level segment.”

China’s Foreign Ministry said on Tuesday that its president had not provided the option to attend virtually. 

“As I understand it, the conference organizers did not provide the video link method,” Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin told reporters, Reuters reported.

Asked about the statement, a spokesperson for the United Kingdom’s government told Reuters that leaders could not join virtually because it wanted participants to attend in person.

COP26 began on Sunday and is set to end on Nov. 12. The summit is not expected to end in a treaty, but world leaders are expected to discuss new initiatives to reduce climate change. 

China currently emits more carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases than any country in the world. Beijing has committed to peaking carbon dioxide emissions by 2030 and achieving carbon neutrality by 2060.

Last week, China released a white paper that contained few new objectives or initiatives for addressing climate change.

President Biden said Sunday that he was disappointed by the lack of climate commitments from China and Russia, which is also not attending, ahead of COP26. 

“Russia and … China basically didn’t show up in terms of any commitments to deal with climate. And there’s a reason why people should be disappointed in that,” Biden said. “I found it disappointing myself.”