The Chinese Communist Party’s repression in Tibet has escalated in recent months, with human-rights groups recently finding that the authorities have placed 1 million children in forced-assimilation boarding schools throughout the region.
But there’s a silver lining that might please some Western environmentalists: Tibet achieved carbon neutrality this month.
That’s what China’s Xinhua propaganda wire service said in an article, quoting Yan Jinhai, one of Beijing’s top officials in the region. Yan told an environmental conference that took place over the weekend about the new development.
Beijing also seems to want the world to know that “China has made remarkable progress in promoting the green and low-carbon energy, with proportion of clean energy sources increasing,” according to a report from the State Council Information Office.
The Biden administration views climate change as one promising area of cooperation that can help to stabilize the broader U.S.–China relationship. As the White House has sought out Beijing’s approval for more bilateral diplomatic engagement, it sent presidential climate envoy John Kerry to Beijing in July for meetings with Chinese officials.
“Our hope is now that this could be the beginning of a new definition of collaboration and the capacity to resolve the differences between us,” Kerry said, ahead of a meeting with Chinese premier Li Qiang.