House Speaker Nancy Pelosi argued this week that it’s crucial the U.S. collaborate with China to fight climate change, which she describes as an “overriding” issue, even though she acknowledges the communist country is guilty of severe human rights abuses.

“With their military aggression in the South China Sea,” the congresswoman said Thursday, “with their continuation of genocide with the Uyghurs in Xinxiang province there, with their violation of the cultural, linguistic, religious priority of Tibet, with their suppression of democracy in Hong Kong and other parts of China as well, they’re just getting worse in terms of suppression and freedom of speech.”

“Having said all of that,” she added, “we have to work together on climate. Climate is an overriding issue. And China is a leading emitter in the world, U.S., too. Developed world, too. But we must work together. So, we have to have a level of communication on whether it’s [COVID-19], whether it’s terrorism, whether it’s climate. We still have to have some communication and dialogue with China on that.”