Ed Miliband, the secretary of state for energy security and net zero, recently accused the previous Conservative government of negligence for not engaging with China on climate issues. He traveled to Beijing to announce a new annual UK-China climate dialogue, with the first summit taking place in London later this year. China’s minister of ecology and environment, Huang Runqiu, is expected to attend.

Miliband stated that the dialogue marks an end to the previous negligent strategy and represents a commitment to engagement. The dialogue will allow ministers and officials to discuss various issues related to the clean energy transition.

Miliband emphasize that the world is off track from its climate goals, set to be discussed at the upcoming Cop30 UN climate summit in Brazil. He mentioned that in his role as secretary of state, he has been visiting countries like Brazil, India, and China, showing Britain’s return as a climate leader on the global stage. The UK aims to work with China and developing countries to counteract Donald Trump’s abandonment of green policies in the US and shape a new global axis in favor of climate action.

When questioned about Britain’s leadership role on sensitive areas like human rights in China’s energy transition, Miliband declined to provide details. Campaigners have raised concerns about the use of forced labor in China’s solar-grade polysilicon production. Miliband acknowledged this issue and expressed his intention to address it with Chinese authorities.

Despite China’s dominance over the solar industry, the government is considering investments to prevent potential oversupply and price drops.

Miliband also addressed the issue of coal phase-out in China, expressing the desire for countries to move away from fossil fuels. He believes that China sees renewables as the primary driver of their energy system, with fossil fuels acting as a backup.

Source: https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2025/mar/17/ed-miliband-vows-to-engage-with-china-on-climate-after-tory-negligence