Retired Navy admiral urges U.S. to work with China on climate, pandemic

WASHINGTON, Jan. 1 (Xinhua) -- James Stavridis, a retired U.S. Navy admiral, has recently urged the United States to work with China on issues such as climate change and pandemic.

In an article published by Bloomberg Opinion, Stavridis wrote the United States and China "have at times broadly joined arms to pull the rest of the world along," despite differences in timing and methods to address environmental issues.

The former supreme allied commander of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) also suggested the United States should "work with China on preparing for the next pandemic."

"The world is going to be living with new Covid variants (Pi? Sigma? Tau? I'm Greek and know the letters) for a long time," he said. "And given our overcrowded world, urban masses and frenetic international travel, another pandemic is a certainty."

In addition, Stavridis said 2022 "could be a good year to readdress trade, tariffs and equal business access to the Chinese and American markets."

"The two countries should try to solidify what makes sense from the talks so far, then work to gain headway on bigger trade issues," he continued. "Our interwoven markets and businesses can be a foundation for better communication."