Climate envoy John Kerry is in China for talks the U.S. hopes will raise relations from historic low

BEIJING (AP) — U.S. climate envoy John Kerry is holding talks with his Chinese counterpart in Beijing as the U.S. seeks to restore contacts with China that were disrupted by disputes over trade, Taiwan, human rights and territorial claims. China’s state media say Kerry is meeting Monday with his counterpart for the first extensive face-to-face climate discussions between representatives of the world’s two worst climate polluters after a nearly yearlong hiatus. China is the world’s largest producer and consumer of coal but has pledged to reduce emissions and become carbon neutral by 2060. Before Kerry’s trip, the Republican questioning of him at times broke down into challenging the existence of the scientifically established fact of climate change.