Xie was made the head of the State Environmental Protection Administration in 1998 and in 2003 he was awarded the UN’s highest environmental honour, the United Nations Environment Programme Sasakawa environment prize. But this chapter of his career had a turbulent end when he was forced to quit in 2005 over a pollution crisis caused by chemical spills in the Songhua River in northeastern China.
Xie was later reinstated, becoming deputy head of the country’s powerful National Development and Reform Commission, and he led the charge from 2007 working as China’s lead climate negotiator. In 2015, Xie was appointed as China’s special climate change representative.
It wasn’t a smooth ride. Xie suffered setbacks at the UN climate conference in Copenhagen in 2009 when attendees failed to reach an agreement. Western leaders, including UK’s then-climate secretary Ed Miliband, named China as one of the countries that “hijacked the talks”, according to media reports.
His achievements came as environment-related issues began to take a more prominent role in China’s political agenda, with Chinese President Xi Jinping saying that “ecological civilisation” was the country’s long-term strategy.
Ma Jun, director of the Institute for Public and Environmental Affairs, a Beijing-based non-profit environmental research firm, described Xie coming out of retirement as “being called upon in a time of crisis”.
Nis Gruenberg, lead analyst at Berlin-based think tank the Mercator Institute for China Studies (Merics), said Xie has been an asset to China. He praised him for his personal relationship with his US counterpart Kerry, for knowing the ins and outs of climate issues, and for being a key player in the well-established international climate network.
“He’s really been a force that positions China in this shift from being very resistant against climate actions to really entering the global stages and joining the nations that are trying to do more,” he said.
Gruenberg believes the connection Xie had forged with Kerry helped when communications resumed, despite ongoing tensions in the relationship.
World wants action to match words from Cop28 climate deal
World wants action to match words from Cop28 climate deal
“[Xie] and I have known each other for 25 years or more, we have been to many Cops together and we have had the privilege of negotiating together to come up with joint efforts in the past,” Kerry said.
Known for being a warm, friendly person, Xie is also notable for his passion in supporting non-profit organisations as part of his diplomatic mission.
“He has really set an example that can be accepted and widely respected in China and the international community; it is also quite prominent that he is highly respected in both government and civil society,” said Ma with the Beijing-based environmental firm, who has been involved in climate work for over three decades.
Ma said he was particularly moved by Xie’s sincerity. He gave the example of an “eco-friendly cycling event” in 2020 when Xie delivered an enthusiastic speech, then joined a group of young people on a bicycle ride.
“Along the way, Xie has really been tirelessly advocating, encouraging and supporting public engagement in climate change response and mobilising all of society to join him in those efforts,” Ma said.
Similarly, Sze Ping Lo, programme director for China and Southeast Asia at the California-based Sequoia Climate Foundation, said Xie’s warm character underpinned his successful diplomatic mission.
Director Xie has this ability of coming into a room with a group of people – some he may know, some he may not know. He has the charm of … getting people to accept him, of befriending people
Lo said the first time he spoke to Xie was at a UN climate change negotiation in Tianjin in 2010, when he was the coordinator for the international NGOs taking part.
One morning, while organising the exhibition showcasing the NGOs’ work and talking to some journalists, to his surprise, Xie suddenly walked into the booth.
The Chinese diplomat shook hands with each one of them, telling them: “We are fighting on the same fronts [on climate change].”
Lo said it was “very unusual” at the time, as climate change was not high in public awareness and international NGOs were new to China, but Xie was friendly and welcoming.
From that first interaction, Lo soon realised that warmth was typical of the diplomat.
“Director Xie has this ability of coming into a room with a group of people – some he may know, some he may not know. He has the charm of … getting people to accept him, of befriending people. He has a very warm character,” he said.
A Chinese government official, who spoke under the condition of anonymity, said: “In our view, no one in China can equal Xie’s achievement for now.”
Despite his successes, though, Xie has faced external and internal challenges that may have undermined his climate efforts, according to observers.
Gruenberg from Merics said: “It is a bad signal that Xi never travelled to the Cop in recent years.” He pointed out that despite their abilities, climate negotiators themselves have limited powers as they always answer to their leaders.
He noted that Xie’s ranking was “fairly comparable” to his Western counterparts – that of a ministerial level. Despite this, “Xie is up against other powerful ministers, and brings a position to the negotiations that is predetermined and set in Beijing”.
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Cop28 climate summit closes with agreement to ‘transition’ from fossil fuels
Cop28 climate summit closes with agreement to ‘transition’ from fossil fuels
Ma with the Beijing-based NGO said scepticism within the Chinese government has played a part.
“There are internal concerns. [Some are thinking,] ‘Is the whole climate thing just a unilateral effort by China alone, or are we simply jumping into a pit dug by others or is this something else?’” Ma said.
Liu, 68, a career diplomat, served as undersecretary-general for the UN economic and social affairs department from 2017 to 2022.
He is “very skilled in communication, very composed and he likes to think things through comprehensively and he speaks English well,” according to people familiar with the matter.
Gruenberg said Liu’s experience in the UN and knowledge of how these organisations work could be beneficial. And with Kerry also retiring, the joint shift in leadership could serve as a “reset” in US-China climate conversations, Gruenberg also noted.
“These two guys that know each other very well are leaving the stage, and they leave very big shoes to fill,” he said.
“Hopefully that will also lead to the chance for some new relationships and some new commitments to grow.”
