CHINESE president Xi Jinping has still not committed to attending the COP26 international climate change talks in Glasgow, the UK Government minister officially chairing the conference has said.

COP26 president Alok Sharma (below) was unable to confirm China would even be sending a delegation to the gathering in November – although he insisted he was “very, very hopeful” they would.

China, as the world’s biggest emitter of greenhouse gases, is seen as crucial if the talks are to succeed in slowing global warming.

The National:

However, Beijing has been infuriated by the new defence pact by the UK, US and Australia – widely viewed as a move to counter China’s increasing military assertiveness in the Indo-Pacific.

The foreign ministry in Beijing said it was “extremely irresponsible” after the three allies announced plans to collaborate on developing a fleet of nuclear-powered submarines for the Australian navy.

Sharma, who is flying out to New York with Boris Johnson for the United Nations General Assembly, said he would not expect Xi to say whether he was going to Glasgow until nearer the time.

He was unable to say for certain that there would even be a Chinese delegation at the talks.

“On the issue of whether Xi Jinping is going to come, that is not yet confirmed. Normally these things come a bit closer to summits.

“I am very, very hopeful that we will have a delegation from China that is coming,” he said.

“President Xi Jinping would come for the world leaders’ conference which is the first two days of COP. But, of course, we want China there as part of the negotiations.

“I do feel that they will come for that. I certainly expect that China will send a negotiating team to Glasgow.”

Sharma, who was recently in Beijing for talks ahead of the summit, acknowledged China would have to be a key part of any agreement.

He told Sky News’s Trevor Phillips on Sunday programme: “There is no doubt that China is going to be part of the key to all of this. They are the biggest emitter in the world.

“They have said to me they want the COP26 to be a success. The ball is in their court. We want them to come forward and make it a success together with the rest of the world.”

Sharma also said he is confident the Glasgow conference will go ahead in person despite rising Covid cases.

Less than a month before the environmental conference is due to take place, the Scottish Government has requested help from the army to support Scotland’s ambulance service amid deteriorating response times.

First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said the challenges facing the ambulance service is “largely caused by Covid pressure”.

Sharma told the BBC’s Andrew Marr show that he is confident the talks will go ahead as planned.

“I am confident that we are going to have a physical COP26, we are planning for that,” he said. “What’s vitally important is that the people who are coming are safe but also that the people of Glasgow are safe.”

He added: “I am confident it’s going to be a safe event.”

Delegates attending the conference who have not yet received their Covid jabs have also been offered to be vaccinated, Sharma added.

When pressed about how he is going to handle the thousands of activists planning to protest during COP26, Sharma said: “People have the right to protest, but they should do it in a way that shouldn’t disrupt other people’s lives.”

Johnson’s trip to the US will include a visit to the White House where he is expected to speak with Joe Biden about the humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan, the potential of reopening UK-US travel and climate change.

Some 100 world leaders are expected in New York to attend the United Nations General Assembly.

Johnson’s visit to the White House will be his first since Biden succeeded Donald Trump as US president.