China Eyes Successor For Veteran Climate Chief Who Befriended US

China’s government is preparing to appoint one of its top diplomats, Liu Zhenmin, to replace veteran climate envoy Xie Zhenhua, a change that could impact delicate relations between Beijing and Washington in a rare area where the world’s two largest emitters have found common ground.

Liu will likely replace Xie later this year after the forthcoming United Nations climate summit in the United Arab Emirates, according to people familiar with the proposal, who asked not to be identified as the matter is private.