The Chinese delegation “rat-f––ed” the negotiations, fumed Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd, after yet another day of gridlock. It was a Friday afternoon in December 2009, and the COP-15 climate conference in Copenhagen was going off the rails. U.S. President Barack Obama, German Chancellor Angela Merkel, United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon, and dozens of other world leaders had assembled in a last-ditch attempt to salvage a deal. They sat cheek by jowl in uncomfortable straight-backed chairs. The conference table was strewn with empty espresso cups and large leafy plants, piles of dog-eared papers, yellow highlighters, and soggy mozzarella sandwiches. Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao was absent. In his place, he sent an underling, He Yafei, to sit opposite Obama — but did not authorize him to negotiate. The sleep-deprived world leaders were insulted. Most eventually lost patience and walked out. With this gesture, China was not j…
Davos 2025: Changing their minds on Trump — Anthony Scaramucci and Niall Ferguson
President Trump’s first 24 hours in the White House have certainly been the talking point here in Davos, as business leaders and politicians digest what…
Thought Leader: Niall Ferguson
Sara Fischer: NYT eyes U.S. subscription bundle partners
New York Times subscribers, by type The New York Times is exploring bundled subscription partnerships with smaller publishers to expand its subscriber base in the…
Thought Leader: Sara Fischer
Evan Feigenbaum: The risk for Taiwan with a ‘highly transactional’ President Trump
Evan Feigenbaum of the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, and a former Deputy Assistant Secretary of State explains how Taiwan could become a bargaining chip…
Thought Leader: Evan Feigenbaum
China Doesn’t Want a Geoengineering Disaster
Thought Leader: Eyck Freymann
Climate Changers
Thought Leader: Eyck Freymann
The Ocean Edge
Thought Leader: Eyck Freymann
