Your Tuesday briefing: China steps up as its economy collapses

Also, an attack on a bridge between Russia and Crimea.

ImageA market in Suzhou, China, in April.Credit...Qilai Shen for The New York Times

China reaches out as its economy collapses

China's economy has slowed this spring, according to official figures released yesterday, dashing hopes of a quick post-pandemic recovery. Analysts said growth was being hampered by high levels of debt, a housing crisis, weak exports and falling foreign investment.

The economy faltering appears to have helped spark a willingness among senior Chinese officials to engage in diplomatic talks with geopolitical rivals abroad and to be more open about domestic economic policy.

This week, Xie Zhenhua, the country's number one climate chief, is negotiating in Beijing with John Kerry, his American counterpart, for the first time in nearly a year. The talks began as China sweltered under a heatwave. In recent days, temperatures have soared above 100 degrees Fahrenheit (about 38 degrees Celsius) in Beijing and hit a record high of 126 degrees Fahrenheit in the western Xinjiang region.

Kerry warned that the United States and China are running out of time to avert a climate catastrophe. The United States has attempted to insulate the climate talks from other geopolitical disagreements like the fate of Taiwan, but with limited success.

"If states United States continues its crackdown on China, tensions and hostility between the two sides are unlikely to be conducive to any cooperation, including on climate change,” wrote a government-controlled newspaper. Communist Party.