Xi Jinping Skips Glasgow

The real story about Glasgow is not who is there. It is not what is being said. It is not that Joe Biden fell asleep during a speech. It is not even about what the assembled potentates will decide.

No, the real story is who is not there. Russian president Vladimir Putin and Chinese president Xi Jinping are skipping the confab. 

When your opponents are sabotaging themselves, immiserating their populations in order to appease a bunch of rabid children, you do best to stay out of the way.

Naturally, this is all debatable. 

What is not debatable is this information, offered by the Daily Mail, of all publications, as a lead into a story about Glasgow.

Of course, the Daily Mail never pretends to be the newspaper of record, but it performs a valuable service by pointing out that while many of the world’s most guilt-ridden leaders are wringing their hands and gnashing their teeth over the climate, China is burning more coal. When China was running short of coal, manufacturing suffered. When manufacturing suffers, we in the West suffer. 

So, the Daily Mail counterpoints the pious invocations of Glasgow with everyday China energy policy.

Here is the opening:

China has increased its daily coal production by over one million tonnes per day, easing its energy shortage as world leaders gather in Britain for climate talks billed as one of the last chances to avert catastrophic global warming.

But in a blow to the Cop26 summit, China's president Xi Jinping will not even give a 'virtual' speech in Glasgow, instead only submitting a written statement. 

The world's biggest coal importer has battled widespread power cuts in recent months - particularly in its industrialised northeast - that have disrupted supply chains, due to strict emissions targets and record prices for the fossil fuel.

But the crisis is now winding down thanks to a boost in domestic coal output, according to a statement from China's top economic planning body late Monday. 

On the one side, a lot of virtue signaling. On the other, industrial production. 

It is a point worth noting.