EU climate envoys plan joint trip to China

One official said EU climate envoy Tony Agotha will attend, while another confirmed Jennifer Morgan, the German foreign ministry's climate special representative, will join.

For the Netherlands, the royal-turned-climate envoy Jamie de Bourbon de Parme will attend, according to a Dutch foreign ministry official.

The officials all spoke on the condition of anonymity to describe the upcoming trip.

Agotha wouldn't comment on the trip and asked POLITICO to contact EU spokespeople for comment.

A European Commission spokesperson said they "don’t comment on individual missions." But the spokesperson noted the diplomatic outreach would operate alongside a semi-regular political dialogue between the EU's climate change commissioner, currently Wopke Hoekstra, and China's top climate appointee, Liu, as well as his boss, Chinese Vice-Premier Ding Xuexiang.

The EU's efforts to broaden its discussions with the world's biggest polluter come as U.S.-China climate talks face uncertainty.

The possible return of Donald Trump to the U.S. presidency means it is unclear what Washington's future role will be in shaping climate change policy with China, which accounts for half of the world's coal demand.