House Speaker Nancy Pelosi argued this week that it’s crucial the U.S. collaborate with China to fight climate change, which she describes as an “overriding” issue, even though she acknowledges the communist country is guilty of severe human rights abuses.
“With their military aggression in the South China Sea,” the congresswoman said Thursday, “with their continuation of genocide with the Uyghurs in Xinxiang province there, with their violation of the cultural, linguistic, religious priority of Tibet, with their suppression of democracy in Hong Kong and other parts of China as well, they’re just getting worse in terms of suppression and freedom of speech.”
“Having said all of that,” she added, “we have to work together on climate. Climate is an overriding issue. And China is a leading emitter in the world, U.S., too. Developed world, too. But we must work together. So, we have to have a level of communication on whether it’s [COVID-19], whether it’s terrorism, whether it’s climate. We still have to have some communication and dialogue with China on that.”
Pelosi’s comments came during an appearance this week before students at Cambridge University.
“In light of the recent defense deal between the U.S., the U.K., and Australia and the Times report on Tuesday about Huawei’s connections with the University of Cambridge department,” one student asked, “what do you believe to be the role of universities in navigating relations with China?”
Pelosi responded by launching into a long-winded defense of the Biden White House’s military nuclear technology pact with the U.K. and Australia, arguing that China poses a unique threat to the West.
“You weren’t even born when I was on China’s case, most of you here,” Pelosi said to polite chuckles. “Practically none of you.”
China has abused its friendships with the U.K. and the U.S., she said, “by mounting big trade deficits.”
Pelosi continued, “Since Tiananmen Square, whether it was the human rights issues, of course, but also the trade violations, the proliferation of weapons, technology for weapons of mass destruction, delivery systems that the were shipping out, doing this with impunity,” China has become a “force.”
Still, she added, as bad as all that sounds, the federal government and the Chinese Communist Party must cooperate to address the catastrophic effects of climate change.
The worst thing about her back-to-back statements is that she clearly understands the seriousness of China’s long-running campaign to destabilize the U.S. and its human rights abuses. She even described in great detail China’s many crimes against its neighbors and its own people.
Sure, China may be engaged directly in wide-scale genocide, and it’s developing and distributing weapons that can be used against the U.S., but we can’t just close the door on them altogether.
After all, climate change is an “overriding issue!”
