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COP26 Ends In Glasgow With Final Agreement; Philippines Most Vulnerable To Climate Crisis; Putin Disavows Involvement With Belarusian Migrant Standoff; Angela Merkel Urges Germans To Get Vaccinated; Nigeria's Lagos Island Battling Severe Erosion; Taiwan Issue Looms Ahead Of Biden-Xi Summit; Crackdown In Nicaragua; Using Space Technology To Save The Planet. Aired 2-3a ET
Aired November 14, 2021 - 02:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
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KRISTIE LU STOUT, CNN ANCHOR AND CORRESPONDENT: Hello, welcome to our viewers around the world, I'm Kristie Lu Stout.
Ahead on CNN NEWSROOM, the last minute change leaving many COP26 negotiators disappointed with the group's final agreement.
Plus, how the Belarus and Poland border crisis is creating tension throughout the region.
And European efforts to curtail a COVID surge.
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STOUT: In Glasgow, Scotland, marathon sessions went into overtime on Saturday. But in the end, nearly 200 negotiators hammered out a final agreement at COP26.
But only after a last-minute compromise on coals. Many delegates were crushed by the watered down language and the British official presiding over the conference apologized. The U.N. secretary-general Antonio Guterres conceded that the agreement fell short but was better than no deal. Here he is.
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ANTONIO GUTERRES, UNITED NATIONS SECRETARY-GENERAL: We did not achieve these goals at this conference but we have some building blocks for progress.
I want to send a message to young people, indigenous communities, women leaders, all those leading on climate action. I know you are disappointed. But the path of progress is not always a straight line. Sometimes there are detours, sometimes there are ditches. But I know we can get there. We are in the fight of our lives and this fight must be won.
(END VIDEO CLIP) STOUT: The agreement reaffirms the importance of holding global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius. It requests that countries bring more aggressive emissions targets, to next year's conference, in Egypt and it agrees to phase down the use of coal, instead of phase out. It's a small but significant change, requested by India.
CNN's Phil Black, has been covering the two-week conference and has the latest from Glasgow.
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ALOK SHARMA, BRITISH BUSINESS SECRETARY: Adopt the decision entitled Glasgow Climate Pact, it is so decided.
PHIL BLACK, CNN CORRESPONDENT: They got there in the end, applause but no real joy. The end result, an intensely negotiated agreement that at best achieves incremental progress and ultimately falls short for everyone.
But at a climate conference, that counts as a win. The final draft inspired passionate support from some wealthy countries.
JOHN KERRY, U.S. SPECIAL PRESIDENTIAL ENVOY FOR CLIMATE: And this is good. This is a powerful statement.
FRANS TIMMERMANS, EUROPEAN COMMISSION VICE PRESIDENT: I please implore you, please embrace this text so that we can bring hope to the hearts of our children and grandchildren.
BLACK (voice-over): Vulnerable small island nations were more grudging but they backed it because it clearly describes the importance of keeping average warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius. And it recognizes the critical need to cut emissions dramatically this decade.
AMINATH SHAUNA, MALDIVAN ENVIRONMENT MINISTER: I would like to remind us all that we have 98 months to halve global emissions. The difference between 1.5 degrees and 2 degrees is a death sentence for us.
BLACK (voice-over): This COP also made history. For the first time, including texts that calls for countries to move on from coal. But there was a dramatic, last-moment twist. India and others teamed up to insist on weakening that section by changing one key word: phase out became:
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Escalating effort to phase down unlimited (ph) coal power.
BLACK (voice-over): It caused deep disappointment.
TINA STEGE, MARSHALL ISLANDS CLIMATE ENVOY: This commitment on coal had been a bright spot in this package. It was one of the things we were hoping to carry out of here and back home with pride. And it hurts deeply to see that bright spot dimmed.
BLACK (voice-over): The conference president couldn't hide his emotions.
SHARMA: I apologize for the way this process has unfolded and I am deeply sorry. I also understand the deep disappointment. But I think, as you have noted, it's also vital that we protect this package.
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BLACK (voice-over): Outside the room, activists and experts predicted real change is coming after Glasgow.
BLACK: Phasing down versus phasing out, what does that mean in practice?
JENNIFER MORGAN, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, GREENPEACE: Well, I actually don't think the change that the change of that word changed the signal, changes that signal. The signal is that coal is on its way out.
NICK MABEY, E3G CLIMATE THINK TANK: The big change here was people finally got the scale of the challenge and the urgency and we finally got a plan that meets that. And that was great but it's -- now it's roll up your sleeves time.
BLACK (voice-over): Scientists say the world needs transformational change. This conference just succeeded in keeping the process alive. That's not enough to ensure hope survives, too -- Phil Black, CNN, Glasgow.
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STOUT: Now climate activists in Glasgow were skeptical, even before the conference began. And after Saturday's final agreement, they quickly branded COP26 a failure and showed off mock headstones of past COP meetings that also failed to bring decisive action. Activist Greta Thunberg, a fixture at the daily protests, tweeted this.
Quote, "The COP26 is over. Here's a brief summary: blah, blah, blah. But the real work continues outside of these halls and we will never give up, ever."
Let's bring in Renato Redentor Constantino. He is the executive director of the Institute for Climate and Sustainable Cities and is an National Climate and Energy Policy Group, based in the Philippines.
Thank you so much for joining us here. As you know, a climate deal was reached in Glasgow but with the last-minute change on coal, the language was watered down from phase out to phase down, what do you make about this outcome?
RENATO REDENTOR CONSTANTINO, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, INSTITUTE FOR CLIMATE AND SUSTAINABLE CITIES: Thanks for having me.
The outcome, you can describe it in many different ways. First of all, it is historic. After 26 conferences of the parties, after so many meetings, globally, we are now able to locate fossil fuels into official text. That, in itself, is a landmark achievement. It has taken so many years of denial and obfuscation by fossil fuel-peddling countries to prevent that from happening.
Now it's there and the next thing that we will be talking about, how to make not only coal history but oil and gas, as well. Was it disappointing?
Yes, it could have been better because it was phased down rather than phased out. But the signs are already clear. We're sending the right signals and as many activist had also said, the real work happens in the real economy.
It is time to ramp up protection as well as decarbonization, across the entire world, with rich countries having to take responsibility, first.
STOUT: As you point out, this is when the real work begins. Governments across asia have made promises, pledged to do better, including China and India. India, which is now targeting 2070 for net zero emissions. But there are promises and there is action.
Do you worry that there are some governments that are in a position to, yes, do it to reach those targets and that there are many who, simply, cannot?
CONSTANTINO: We are worried, constantly but we are also feeling a lot of optimism and seeing a lot of changes happening on the ground, changes that we wouldn't have anticipated, maybe, just as recently as 10 years ago.
In the first place, it really has to be said that, however much fingers have been pointing, rightly at India for watering down the text, this has also enabled by the refusal of governments to, actually, be even more ambitious.
The disappointment here was the U.S., including governments and delegations that behaved like Neanderthals. Australia's government was an embarrassment and so were the Saudis.
However, there are countries determined to transform their economies with or without Paris as the motivation. Vietnam is the leading solar installer in the entire of Southeast Asia, something unthinkable a decade ago. Indonesia has, already, started phasing out coal and bringing in substantial amounts of renewable energy.
The Philippines declared a moratorium on new coal plants last year. Things are happening on the ground. The real economy is changing. But world leaders have to be more than what they did in Glasgow. We cannot be behaving like a bunch of troglodytes, meeting every year, where the final few of fossil fuel peddling countries will win the day. Pressure needs to grow even more now.
STOUT: Pressure needs to grow even more now, especially for the nations that need to step up and do more with their climate commitment.
[02:10:00] STOUT: So I want to ask about the people power behind the pressure, the demand for change among the people. There are these passionate climate protests in Europe, not so much across Asia.
Is there that passion and desire among people in the Philippines and across Asia to demand more climate action?
CONSTANTINO: Certainly there is a lot of room or improvement, in each of our countries, especially in Southeast Asia, not just Asia. The pressure needs to be greater, because we cannot keep blaming rich countries for all of the troubles that we actually can fix at home.
In the Philippines, for instance, clean air quality, we have neglected for 20 years at the cost now of $87 billion per year. That's just in the Philippines. That is something that we need to fix. It cannot be a simple climate negotiation produced outcome.
This about people, about lives and within a pandemic, studies have clearly shown, that air quality is responsible for about 15 percent of COVID-related deaths. If our air quality is bad, our health is bad as well and the pandemic will simply worsen.
And more importantly, if a country cannot -- continues to ignore the fact that 23 percent of GDP is the equivalent of neglecting our air quality standards, we cannot be held by international treaties. So domestically, populations in Indonesia, Thailand, Vietnam and the Philippines need to step up and make our own governments accountable.
STOUT: We need to step up, we need to address the climate crisis. There is just so much at stake. Renato Redentor Constantino, thank you so much for your work and thank you for joining us, here, on CNN NEWSROOM. Take care.
Now a Polish soldier is dead amid an ongoing standoff over migrants on the border with Belarus. Now the death appears to be a mishap, the result of an accidental shooting in Poland. But tensions remain high.
Thousands of migrants are trapped in limbo and Belarus is accused of staging a crisis and Poland isn't budging, saying it won't let the migrants in. The very latest, Nada Bashir, tracking the story for, us live in London.
Thank you for joining us. Thousands of migrants, are in this desperate situation and I understand that the E.U. foreign ministers, will soon, meet to address the crisis.
How could they help?
NADA BASHIR, CNN CORRESPONDENT: That's right, Kristie. E.U. foreign ministers, gathering tomorrow, to bring some discussion on this crisis on the border, between both Poland and Belarus.
This is all part of these intense diplomatic efforts that have been ongoing for the last week. We have, heard yesterday, from the E.U. foreign affairs chief who said that he had spoken with foreign ministers in both Poland and Lithuania, about what he described as the unacceptable instrumentalization of people on the border by the Belarusian government.
The European Union has accused Belarusian leader, Alexander Lukashenko, of driving this migrant crisis in an effort to destabilize the European Union on its borders and even to cover up for human rights abuses within Belarus.
So there is intense pressure, with the European Union to end this crisis, particularly, with the dire humanitarian conditions for refugees there. What we do expect to see tomorrow from European foreign ministers, a discussion on the expansion of sanctions on Belarus.
There are already sanctions on Belarus by the European Union. But what we heard from German foreign minister Heiko Maas earlier this week, is that there could be an expansion of sanctions targeting both companies and individuals they believe to be involved in human trafficking; that is, bringing these refugees to Belarus, to the border, with Poland.
But there is real concern now over the situation on the border. The humanitarian conditions are dire and that is only adding to pressure on the European Union, really, to bring an end to this crisis -- Kristie.
STOUT: And let's zero in on the humanitarian situation, because temperatures are dropping and winter is approaching. Conditions there are deteriorating for the thousands of migrants at the border.
What will happen to them?
BASHIR: The situation is really dire at this stage and you mentioned temperatures are freezing. There are many vulnerable refugees, many of them families with young children, experiencing desperate shortages of food, medicine and other essential items.
There have been calls from aid groups to allow access to aid organizations and humanitarian organizations, to bring much-needed support for the refugees there. But really, the refugees and migrants are caught in this political standoff, unable to access the European Union as they wish to, unable to return home.
Many coming from the Middle East and Asia, particularly in vulnerable situations.
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BASHIR: So there's a real sense of desperation there. But Poland has also been accused of pushing migrants back, the few who make it across the border. There are thousands, currently, at the border but some have managed to get across and then turned across.
And this stands in contravention of the U.N. Declaration of Human Rights. It states that people who access a national territory have the right to claim asylum there. So there is major criticism of Poland's actions there.
They defended, this they beefed up their presence on the border, thousands of soldiers, as well as border officials and a barbed wire fence, all in efforts to prevent people from crossing into the European Union.
And they have created a law which says they are able to do this, in order to defend their national border. So there is much criticism of Poland's actions there, particularly as the situation continues to deteriorate, for migrants, on the border -- Kristie.
STOUT: Nada Bashir, in London, thank you.
Now the Kremlin remains one of the Belarusian leader's only allies. But Russian president Vladimir Putin says his country has nothing to do with the crisis and speaking to state media, he defended Alexander Lukashenko. Take a listen.
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VLADIMIR PUTIN, PRESIDENT OF RUSSIA (through translator): I want everybody to know, we have nothing to do with it. Everybody is trying to make us responsible for something at every given opportunity and for no reason at all.
Our airlines do not transport those people, not a single company. By the, way neither does Belavia. Alexander Goyeva (ph) told me, they book charter flights, visa free entrants; people buy tickets and go.
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STOUT: The U.K.'s most senior military officer, saying that he didn't know whether Russia is involved in the migration crisis but that nothing would surprise him.
General Nick Carter, saying that the risk of accidental war breaking out between Russia and the West is greater than at anytime during the Cold War.
In an interview with Times Radio, he said, quote, "Many of the traditional diplomatic tools and mechanisms from the Cold War, these are no longer there. And without those tools and mechanisms, there is a greater risk that these escalations or this escalation could lead to miscalculation.
"So I think that is the real challenge we have to be confronted with," unquote.
Now Ecuador's president called an emergency cabinet meeting on Saturday, to address the latest eruption of deadly clashes in the nation's prisons. Apparent gang violence, killing dozens of inmates in one of Ecuador's most overcrowded prisons, the same, one where deadly clashes broke, out just weeks ago. Stefano Pozzebon, has this.
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STEFANO POZZEBON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: The government of Ecuador, has called a crisis cabinet after at least 68 inmates were killed in such fight were injured, in clashes in the Litoral (ph) penitentiary in the coastal city of Guayaquil. This is the same prison where 118 inmates were killed in September in similar clashes.
Both cases authorities put the blame on rival gangs, competing for control of the prison. And on Saturday, Guillermo Lasso, the president of Ecuador, did not speak to the nation but took onto Twitter, to demand that the constitutional court pass a new regulation, aimed at establish orders in the jail. Ecuador's jails are notoriously overcrowded and clashes between inmates are common.
Of the -- in the year, so far, more than 300 inmates were killed in prison violence, according to the country's prison service. And the entire prison system has been under the state of emergency since September. So due to the ongoing wave of violence. The inmates are, often, well armed with high caliber guns and explosives.
Just on Friday, the Ecuador police announced, it had seized seven firearms and 27 packages of ammunition, that were -- has been smuggled inside the Litoral penitentiary.
But that could not prevent the violence from escalating once again. At least 900 policemen and the armed forces were deployed to the prison on Saturday, as more clashes were reported -- for CNN, this is Stefano Pozzebon, Bogota.
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STOUT: As COVID cases rise in Europe, governments are imposing more restrictions and pleading with residents to get vaccinated. Coming up, we have got a live report on efforts to fight the spread of the coronavirus across the continent.
And they have a lot to talk about, including big differences over Taiwan. We preview this week's virtual summit between Joe Biden and Xi Jinping.
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STOUT: Welcome back.
If you live in Berlin, you'd better have a COVID shot or proof of recovery, before heading out on the town in the coming days. The German capital is banning the unvaccinated from restaurants, bars, cinemas and other public venues, starting on Monday.
Germany has been hit hard with the recent surge of COVID infections across Europe. The rise in cases placing a devastating burden on Germany's hospitals, with beds reaching near capacity, in some regions. German chancellor, Angela Merkel, is addressing vaccine hesitancy, telling the skeptical it is time to get the shot.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) ANGELA MERKEL, CHANCELLOR OF GERMANY (through translator): Difficult weeks lie before us and, as you can see, I am worried as I am sure that many of you are, too. But let us part from it.
A year ago, we were in a similar situation. But back then, we didn't have the most effective means against the virus, the vaccine. Now it is here and we must not only access it but quickly. I ask of you, please do it and try to convince your relatives and friends as well.
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STOUT: Now much of the Europe is seeing a similar surge in new COVID infections. The World Health Organization says that Europe recorded nearly 2 million new cases, in the last, week alone. That is the highest seven-day increase since the pandemic began.
There were nearly 27,000 new deaths from the virus, just last week, accounting for more than half of the, deaths worldwide, during that time. For more, now, on the escalating COVID crisis in Europe, I am joined by CNN contributor, Barbie Nadeau, live from Rome.
And Europe, once again, is the world's COVID-19 epicenter.
Could you walk us through how nations are responding, this time?
BARBIE NADEAU, CNN CORRESPONDENT: The response to this has been, very scattered. You have places like Austria, which plans to implement a lockdown for people who aren't vaccinated. You look at the Netherlands, who have started a three-week lockdown, starting this week, which is, not quite, as strict as it was a year ago.
There's an 8 pm curfew, people can go out to eat but they must be back home by 8 pm. So we have places like Trieste in northern Italy, that are starting new restrictions because of the doubling cases every day. That stems from protests a couple of weeks ago.
So while there is no travel ban within the Schengen zone, as of yet, you have different countries, responding different ways. So we're not even into the winter season yet. So people are concerned that things are only going to get worse before they get better.
STOUT: Barbie, it is a number of COVID cases rising across the region.
What about the pace of vaccination? Are we seeing, ramping up of shots and booster shots, across Europe?
NADEAU: In places like Italy, we have 90 percent of the people who have at least one vaccine but the booster campaign not even starting yet for people over the age of 40, in vulnerable health conditions.
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NADEAU: Like you mentioned, Germany, where there is a lower incident of vaccinations, when you are looking at people not vaccinated for the first time, versus the booster shots, that the Quebec (ph) campaign really has started as well, you have such a scattered approach. And that is what health officials are so concerned about, that the
vaccines work if people take them. And then you have people just continue to refuse. We had no vax protests this weekend in Italy. Those are the people, mostly, they are concerned about.
It is becoming a pandemic of the unvaccinated but that still affects those who are following the regulations and recommendations.
STOUT: All right, Barbie Nadeau, reporting, live in Rome. Thank you.
China is making progress in getting young people immunized against COVID-19. The officials, saying they have vaccinated half the child population, aged 3 to 11. That is nearly 84.5 million kids. Beijing said that they hope to fully vaccinate all children, in the age group by the end of the year.
On Monday, Cuba will reopen its doors to foreign travelers, they're hoping to kickstart an economy ravaged by COVID but tough U.S. sanctions may limit the impact of tourist dollars. CNN's Patrick Oppmann explains.
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PATRICK OPPMANN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Workers in Old Havana make final repairs ahead of Cuba's reopening. For most of the pandemic, the island has been closed for international tourism. Nearly all international flights were canceled. Visitors had to quarantine.
Once-packed colonial squares and bars where Ernest Hemingway downed mojitos were all but abandoned. It hit the many Cubans, who depend on tourism, particularly hard. For 30 years, Alberto Reyes says he made a living selling drawings to tourists in front of Havana's cathedral. He told us he has not sold a single one during the pandemic.
"My hope now is to be able to provide for my kids," he says. "I have three kids and we were going hungry."
Starting on Monday, Cuba will increase international flights and welcome back tourists. Now visitors who are fully vaccinated or have had a negative PCR test 72 hours before arrival will no longer have to quarantine.
Cuban officials say the massive effort to vaccinate the population with homegrown vaccines has allowed them to welcome back tourists and their badly-needed hard currency.
"Our population keeps getting vaccinated," he says. "Everything indicates our scientists have made a discovery of great value for our people and I think we are very well positioned. We are optimistic."
But the pandemic isn't the only impediment preventing some tourists from coming.
Sanctions implemented by the Trump administration and continued by the Biden administration severely limit the ways Americans can visit the island and prevent them from staying in government-run hotels. OPPMANN: Throughout the pandemic, the Cuban government's continued to
build hotels like never before. But many of these projects began when U.S.-Cuban relations were much improved and U.S. tourists were flooding the island.
Now, even as COVID travel restrictions are lifted, most Americans won't be able to visit because of U.S. sanctions.
OPPMANN (voice-over): Some tour operators say clients may be wary of visiting Cuba, after widespread anti government protests shook the island in July. The Cuban government responded with mass arrests and lengthy jail sentences, which led to more U.S. sanctions.
COLLIN LAVERTY, CUBA EDUCATIONAL TRAVEL: So when things get challenging between the United States and Cuba or there is a lot of political turmoil or negative flashpoints on the ground, certainly, that dissuades people from looking at Cuba as a destination.
OPPMANN (voice-over): Cuban officials say, they are now open to visitors. But to rebuild the island's tourism industry, they may have a long road ahead of them -- Patrick Oppmann, CNN, Havana.
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STOUT: Still to come, a look ahead to the upcoming virtual summit between U.S. President Joe Biden and Chinese President Xi Jinping.
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STOUT: Long and tense negotiations in Glasgow, Scotland, finally led to a climate agreement that everyone could endorse but few were happy with it. A last-minute change on coal weakened the language and the British official presiding over the conference became emotional after approving the change. Here he is.
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ALOK SHARMA, BRITISH BUSINESS SECRETARY: May I just say to all delegates, I apologize for the way this process has unfolded and I am deeply sorry. I also understand the deep disappointment. But I think, as you have noted, it's also vital that we protect this package.
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STOUT: The agreement reaffirms the importance of holding global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius. It requests that countries bring more aggressive emissions targets to next year's conference in Egypt and it agrees to phase down the use of coal instead of phase out, a small but significant change requested by India. With each passing day, residents of a coastal community in Nigeria are
watching rising sea levels destroy their homes and way of life. Some blame climate change while others blame poor urban planning. CNN's Stephanie Busari reports now from Lagos.
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STEPHANIE BUSARI, CNN.COM SUPERVISING EDITOR, AFRICA (voice-over): The low-lying community of Okun Alfa in Lagos sits along Nigeria's Atlantic coast. Erosion along the shoreline is nothing new. But the problem is getting worse.
Over time, residents say, they watch their ancestral homes and vital public infrastructure disappear.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: This health center was washed away about 10 years ago.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It was washed away. (INAUDIBLE) have anywhere as a health center or a place, when if it is, something happened that you can rush a patient (INAUDIBLE).
BUSARI: For decades, this community in Lagos suffered from flooding and erosion due to rising sea levels. But they say these breakers put here about 10 years ago have helped to solve some of this issue. But still, they remain worried.
BUSARI (voice-over): Climate change is one culprit but some also are pointing their fingers elsewhere.
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UNIDENTIFIED MALE (voice-over): Eko Atlantic is raising the standard for quality of life in Nigeria.
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BUSARI (voice-over): Touted as the next economic capital of Africa, Eko Atlantic is a new city being built on 6.5 million square meters of land reclaimed from the ocean bed in the Victoria Island district of Lagos.
The eroding coastline is protected by an 8.5-kilometer great wall of Lagos. But the surrounding community says the construction has made things worse for them.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: When the project is about to commence, none of us are called. They have to call us. We have to say our own certain experience that we have.
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BUSARI (voice-over): The company behind the project insists it is not to blame and goes so far as to say that the Victoria Island area of Lagos would not exist without the Eko Atlantic project.
DAVID FRAME, MANAGING DIRECTOR, SOUTH ENEGYNX NIGERIA: A contract between ourselves and the Lagos state government to effectively arrest the erosion of our beach (ph) that was threatening the very existence of Victoria Island and in turn, find a permanent solution. That permanent solution is Eko Atlantic City.
BUSARI: But they're saying this has caused it to worsen.
FRAME: Well, that is not the case.
BUSARI (voice-over): But that is the case and environmental advocates say --
OWOYEMI WAHAB ELEGBELEYE, UNIVERSITY OF LAGOS: If the people of Okun Alfa or any other place on the island claims that it is because of the construction of Eko Atlantic City bringing about flooding in their own areas, they cannot be wrong because the water will definitely find its level in other areas.
BUSARI (voice-over): Where that water does go will impact those in this area forever.
BUSARI: Are you worried that this community will sink underwater?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The water has carried a lot of the community away. We are crying that if this is happening, is going to demolish the village.
BUSARI (voice-over): Stephanie Busari, CNN, Lagos, Nigeria.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
STOUT: The climate crisis could be on the agenda when U.S. president Joe Biden speaks with Chinese president Xi Jinping this week, their virtual summit coming just days after the U.S. and China announced a new deal to cooperate on climate change.
It also comes amid heightened tensions between the two nations, especially over Taiwan. The meeting will be the first between the two leaders since Mr. Biden took office. It is scheduled for Tuesday morning, Beijing time.
Wendy Cutler is the vice president of the Asia Society Policy Institute and also the former acting U.S. deputy trade representative. She joins us now to look ahead at the issues facing the U.S. and China.
Thank you for joining us here on the program. The world knows that Joe Biden and Xi Jinping will be meeting very soon during a time of high tension.
What can this virtual summit achieve?
WENDY CUTLER, VICE PRESIDENT, ASIA SOCIETY POLICY INSTITUTE: Well, we need to keep in mind that the summit is occurring at a time where it is really the lowest point in U.S.-China relations.
And so one meeting is not going to turn the relationship around. I think we should have modest expectations and hope that the two leaders can set the tone and the direction for the relationship going forward.
STOUT: Expectations should be modest, given the number of challenges in this relationship. And ahead of this summit, we heard from the U.S. secretary of state, Antony Blinken, he spoke with the Chinese foreign minister and they discussed Taiwan.
Blinken concerned about Chinese pressure to the island and Wang Yi urged him not to send the wrong signal.
Is the fate of Taiwan right now the biggest flashpoint in relations between the U.S. in China?
CUTLER: I think that's fair to say. The two foreign ministers spoke today, not just on Taiwan but they are making preparations for this virtual meeting, so there are no surprises.
But Taiwan will rank high on the agenda. We can't count on any breakthroughs. I think both sides will just repeat their talking points and make sure that the other side understands their position and their intentions; no breakthroughs.
STOUT: No breakthroughs expected here. Let's talk more about Xi Jinping, because he's going to enter this virtual summit in a position of political strength, especially after what happened last week, the big Chinese Communist Party meeting.
How does this new power dynamic affect this summit and also U.S.-China relations going forward?
CUTLER: Well, both leaders will be domestically focused as they participate in this meeting. You are right, Xi Jinping comes off of the six party plenum; he is strong, he has consolidated his power. He has enshrined himself in the Communist Party -- you know, as one of the three preeminent leaders.
But yet he has between now and next November to actually secure his third term. And he doesn't want anything to go wrong and anyone or anything to stand in his way. So he will be concerned about the economy.
He will be concerned about any flashpoint in U.S.-Chinese relations. And he will want a stable relationship with the United States. And the president -- I think it's interesting -- he will be attending this meeting following the signing of the infrastructure bill. And I don't think that that is a coincidence.
I think he wants to show Xi Jinping that he also is coming into the meeting from a position of strength.
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STOUT: And let's pull the lens back here and look at the big picture, the significance of this virtual summit.
Why is it so critical for these two leaders to meet right now?
CUTLER: Well, remember, this is only their third call since Biden has taken office. Relations are at an incredibly low point, although we have seen some de-escalation in the past month.
And what we really need to see going forward is more engagement between cabinet level, minister level, vice premier level, Chinese and U.S. officials on areas where possibly they can align their interests but also in areas where there are tensions and where through engagement they can avoid any misunderstandings or accidents.
STOUT: And the fact that Biden and Xi will be talking, could represent a step forward. After this meeting, how can the U.S. and China, use this moment, use this positive momentum, what are the areas of potential cooperation?
CUTLER: Number one, climate change; we already saw last week at COP26, that China, and the United States, made a joint declaration and announcing a working group.
I think on trade China could agree to purchase more and both sides could work constructively in implementing the phase one agreement. We could also see modest steps like more visas being issued by both sides, as well as the reopening of consulates.
But what I will be looking for, is what they say about the relationship going forward and whether are there are concrete plans and issues that each side refers to, which sets, again, the tone and direction for the relationship for the weeks and months, ahead.
STOUT: Wendy Cutler, vice president of the Asia Society Policy Institute, thank you for joining us.
Still ahead on CNN, international condemnation of Nicaragua's election. Activists and citizens say they don't feel safe from the regime of the president, even after fleeing the country.
And the view from space. It could be awe inspiring, it could be amazing and heartbreaking. Ahead, how the view from up there can help solve climate issues down here.
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STOUT: Welcome back.
Nicaragua's president, Daniel Ortega, cemented his power one week ago in what the Organization of American States condemns as a fraudulent election. The international outcry coming after a months long government crackdown, on Mr. Ortega's political rivals, jailing opposition leaders and ordinary citizens alike. That action is typical, of the regime's campaign to silence critics.
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STOUT: And it doesn't stop at the country's borders. CNN Matt Rivers, explains.
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MATT RIVERS, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): He calls himself an elected president. But for many, Daniel Ortega is a dictator, whose regime gets stronger and more dangerous under his rule, a campaign of political terror, gripping the country.
Dissent can lead to house arrest, jail time; some even allege they have been tortured. It is a dangerous time in Nicaragua, something we tried to go see firsthand.
For that, we took a bus into northwestern Costa Rica to the Nicaraguan border, entering via land to try and avoid the attention of the authorities. But after 10 minutes with an immigration official, it was clear, we were not getting in.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: (Speaking Spanish).
RIVERS: So they just took our passports and our Mexican residency card and asked if anyone worked for CNN. Even though we did not offer that information, it is clear, they know who we are.
RIVERS (voice-over): Soon after, immigration officials denied our entry.
RIVERS: So we have been formally escorted out of the country, after waiting three hours. They told us that we needed to send a formal request to the government in order to be allowed in, not giving us any reason as to why we were not allowed in.
They won't answer our questions and so now officially we are back on the Costa Rican side. Clearly, they don't want people like us inside the country.
RIVERS (voice-over): Our experience, just a small example of the staggering level of government control faced by Nicaraguans. Since June, dozens of perceived enemies, of the regime, have been thrown into jail while countless others have been harassed and followed.
In roughly a dozen interviews CNN conducted with people inside the country, each said, most neighbors won't even talk politics anymore, fearful that they could be denounced as traitors.
One current government official would only speak to us over the phone, as he stood in an empty field, fearful of being heard.
He says, "Only Ortega's followers are the ones who can walk freely. The vast majority of, us live like hostages. Every time I leave my home, I am terrified." We granted him anonymity because he said government forces surveil his
house constantly. If they knew he was speaking to foreign journalists, he says, he would be imprisoned.
"I was afraid to speak with, you but at the same time the conviction and hope that our voice will reach others around the world makes us take the risk."
Certainly, it has reached other Nicaraguans around the world, tens of thousands of whom have fled the country since government crackdowns ramped up, in 2018. But for many, the terror of the Ortega regime does not stop at the border.
Jorge spoke to us from an undisclosed location, in Mexico, he said he was tortured by Nicaraguan police, after participating in anti government protests, in 2018, even alleging, they used a razor blade to carve the word "plomo" into his leg, a threat of future violence.
Someone, even spray-painting his home, writing, "If you (INAUDIBLE) around, you die."
He says, "People I had grown up with and known had become my enemies."
He fled to Guatemala and felt safe for a bit, until he received this photo. Someone, he says, who worked for the Nicaraguan government snapped this picture of him at the bus stop he used every day, writing, quote, "You thought the Guatemalans would take care of you?
"You and your family are going to pay in blood."
"My family and I do not feel safe, because we know what they can do. We wouldn't be the first or the last Nicaraguan to be murdered, outside the country."
He's still receiving threats In Mexico and though CNN has no way to know for certain that Nicaraguan state agents were threatening him, that is the consistent fear of so many here in San Jose, Costa Rica, where thousands of Nicaraguans have fled since 2018.
There, we met with this group of Nicaraguan exiles, each of whom say they have received threats from the Ortega regime since fleeing in the last few years. One story, from Rayza Hope stood out.
A Nicaraguan activist, she fled in 2019, after threats to her life. She now runs a flower shop in San Jose where her friend, Berenisa Zeladon (ph) a fellow Nicaraguan activist, visits her often. About one month ago, a man entered the shop, closed the door and pointed a gun.
He told us, "Stop (INAUDIBLE) around, (INAUDIBLE)."
We said, "Don't hurt us," but he started strangling me.
Rayza was pistol-whipped and knocked out, Berenisa (ph) kicked to the floor. She suffered knee fractures as a result.
Crying, she says, "The first thing I thought about, my son. This man is going to kill us."
Eventually, the man left without stealing anything.
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RIVERS (voice-over): Both women filed a police report and suspect the same thing: they were targeted by Nicaraguan agents.
Nicaraguan human rights groups say they've recorded dozens of such suspected attacks in Costa Rica in recent years, though proving the Nicaragua government is behind them is near impossible.
Officially, Costa Rica's government says they found no such cases of Nicaraguan spies attacking exiles.
"We are always talking to Nicaragua," he says, "and maintaining a conversation to respect each other's sovereignty."
But not everyone in the government agrees.
RIVERS: A senior government official with deep knowledge of the situation tells CNN there are in fact Nicaraguan intelligence operatives, working right now here in Costa Rica, including those that target Nicaraguan exiles, adding the number of operatives working here has increased since Nicaraguans started arriving en masse back in 2018.
The government, the source says, is hesitant to speak out publicly on the issue, fearing it could damage diplomatic relations at a tenuous time.
RIVERS (voice-over): On Sunday, protests were held in San Jose, people chanting and waving the Nicaraguan flag.
But in Nicaragua, things were much quieter. No protests are allowed these days. But it does not mean that they are not happening. CNN spoke to several people, who said they would not vote, a form of quiet protest, they said, refusing to participate in the coronation of a dictator -- Matt Rivers, CNN, San Jose, Costa Rica.
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STOUT: For weeks now, climate change has been on the agenda at the COP26 summit in Scotland.
But when it comes to problems on Earth, could some of the answers be found in outer space?
That story is next.
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(MUSIC PLAYING) STOUT: In just a few hours, Queen Elizabeth II is expected to make her first public appearance in weeks. The 95 year old British monarch hasn't been seen since being advised by doctors to rest after she spent a night in a hospital for what a spokesman described as preliminary investigations.
The queen will attend the U.K.'s annual Remembrance Day service in London.
In the U.S., Harry and Meghan, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, have been meeting with Afghans who made it out of their country. The couple spoke with women at a military base in New Jersey that is home to more than 10,000 Afghan refugees.
They also stopped by a classroom of children learning conversational English, leading the children in a round of the song, "Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes," which they said is a favorite of their son, Archie.
And it's the life of a commoner for another one-time royal and, just like Harry and Meghan, she will be living it in America. Former Japanese princess Mako and her newlywed husband left Tokyo earlier today to relocate to the U.S. He is a legal clerk at a law firm in New York, where the couple plan to make their home.
Mako lost her royal status when she married the commoner last month.
As experts look for ways to stop climate change here on Earth, astronauts have been getting a unique and disturbing of the problem from space and now there's hope that some of the technology used out there could lead to some solutions here. Michael Holmes has more.
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MICHAEL HOLMES, CNN ANCHOR AND CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): A view with a purpose: scientists say data collected from satellites and the International Space Station could provide insight and potential solutions to some of the planet's most critical problems, like climate change.
NASA recently revealed cutting-edge imagery from its Landsat 9 satellite, part of a joint program with the U.S. Geological Survey, which has captured images of the Earth's surface for nearly 50 years.
But experts say the details with this latest technology of coastlines and forest canopies could help officials track extreme climate events, like wildfires, melting glaciers and tropical deforestation.
European Space Agency astronaut Thomas Pesquet, who just returned from the International Space Station, is part of NASA's SpaceX Crew 2 mission, said he saw firsthand how urgent the climate crisis has become.
THOMAS PESQUET, EUROPEAN SPACE AGENCY ASTRONAUT: We had unbelievable sights of entire regions, entire states in the U.S., entire countries, covered in smoke and ashes. That was actually pretty painful to watch.
HOLMES (voice-over): The Biden administration wants to increase NASA's budget in 2022 by a $1.5 billion. NASA administrator Bill Nelson says he envisions the agency will, one day, have a command center to monitor key data like sea levels, weather patterns and toxic emissions.
BILL NELSON, NASA ADMINISTRATOR: We are exploring the idea of a climate and mission control, just like you have seen in the launches and since you've seen, since the old Apollo days, a mission control for climate change.
HOLMES (voice-over): NASA says many innovations that were designed for spaceflight have already helped reduce energy consumption back on Earth, like allowing machinery like escalators and elevators to power down when not in use or upturning the ends of airplane wings to reduce fuel usage, which reduces CO2 emissions.
Astronauts on the ISS grew Hatch green chiles from seeds in space. The experiment not only providing fresh food for the crew but also showing ways vegetables can grow where there is limited water, which could be useful as heat waves increasingly damage crops back on Earth.
Researchers hope the sky isn't the limit, how space can help the study and mitigation of the effects of climate change.
One recent space traveler says the stakes couldn't be higher for what could be learned from this final frontier.
WILLIAM SHATNER, ACTOR AND ASTRONAUT: But until you are up there, you see the blackness, the starkness. But in that moment, is blackness and death. In this moment down here, as we look down, there's life and nurturing.
HOLMES (voice-over): Michael Holmes, CNN.
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STOUT: I'm Kristie Lu Stout in Hong Kong, I'll be back with more CNN NEWSROOM in just a moment.
