Kerry criticized for response to question about forced labor in China

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John Kerry, the U.S. climate envoy, was accused by online critics of brushing aside a question about reports of slave labor in China to produce solar panels while attending a press conference Wednesday at the COP26 climate summit in Glasgow.

RealClearPolitics posted the video and said that the question came after the U.S. and China announced they will increase their cooperation and speed up action to rein in climate-damaging emissions, which was seen as a key diplomatic score.

A reporter mentioned the behind-the-scenes meetings and asked if Kerry ever mentioned any "contentious issues" like the use of forced labor in Xinjiang for building solar panels. 

Kerry said both countries were honest about their differences.

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"We certainly know what they are and we’ve articulated them but that’s not my lane here. My job is to be the climate guy," Kerry said.

NOVEMBER 10: US special climate envoy, John Kerry speaks during a joint China and US statement on a declaration enhancing climate action in the 2020's on day eleven of the COP26 climate change conference in Glasgow, Scotland.  (Photo by Jeff J Mitchell/Getty Images) (Getty)

A State Department spokesperson told Fox News in an early email Thursday that Kerry has spent his 37-year career as a senator and secretary of state "standing up for human rights and defending democracy."

"As Secretary Kerry has said from the start, the United States and China have mutual interests in solving the climate crisis while there's still time, even when we fundamentally disagree on other critical issues," the statement read.

The Washington Post reported in August that the U.S. blocked the imports of solar panels from at least three Chinese companies "reasonably indicating" the use of forced labor. The paper said the U.S. "prohibits the import of good made by coerced workers."

Kerry’s comment seems to illustrate the diplomatic challenges of working with competing countries to come together on climate change. The Republican National Committee retweeted the comment.

China's special climate envoy, Xie Zhenhua speaks during a joint China and US statement on a declaration enhancing climate action in the 2020's on day eleven of the COP26 climate change conference at the SEC on November 10, 2021 in Glasgow, Scotland. (Photo by Jeff J Mitchell/Getty Images) (Getty)

Chinese climate envoy Xie Zhenhua and Kerry said the countries would work together to accelerate the emissions reductions required to meet the goals of the 2015 Paris Agreement on climate change.

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"It’s beneficial not only to our two countries but the world as a whole that two major powers in the world, China and the U.S., shoulder special international responsibilities and obligations," Xie told reporters. "We need to think big and be responsible."

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"The steps we’re taking ... can answer questions people have about the pace at which China is going, and help China and us to be able to accelerate our efforts," Kerry said.

The Associated Press contributed to this report