Chinese and American flags fly outside the premises of an American company in Beijing, China, January 21, 2021. REUTERS / Tingshu Wang / File Photo
China and the United States agree that stronger commitments should be made to fight climate change ahead of another round of international talks at the end of the year, the two countries said in a joint statement on Sunday.
The statement came after a meeting between Chinese climate envoy Xie Zhenhua and his US counterpart, John Kerry, in Shanghai on Thursday and Friday, China’s environment ministry said.
“The United States and China are committed to working with each other and with other countries to address the climate crisis,” said their joint statement. The two countries will continue to discuss “concrete measures to reduce emissions in the 2020s, aimed at keeping the temperature limit aligned with the Paris Agreement within reach”.
Kerry arrived in Shanghai on Wednesday evening under tight COVID-19 protocols and was transferred to a remote hotel not open to the public. He then traveled to Seoul.
His stop in Shanghai marked the first high-level visit to China by a Biden government official since the new president’s inauguration, and followed a contentious exchange between officials from the two countries in Alaska in March.
The talks also mark a resumption of the climate dialogue between the world’s two largest greenhouse gas emitters. Bilateral discussions came to a halt during Donald Trump’s administration, which withdrew from the 2015 Paris Agreement after claiming it had unfairly punished US companies.
The United States is expected to soon fulfill a new pledge to cut US greenhouse gas emissions in an effort to regain the confidence of foreign allies. Biden brought the United States back to the Paris climate agreement.
Li Shuo, senior climate adviser for the environmental group Greenpeace, said China could soon respond to a new US pledge with its own pledge, building on the “momentum” of the Shanghai talks.
“The statement is in my opinion as positive as politics would allow: it sends a very unambiguous message that on this particular issue (China and the United States) will cooperate. Before the meetings in Shanghai, this was not a message that we could accept. , ‘Said Li.
Biden will hold a virtual summit this week for dozens of world leaders to discuss climate change, which can be broadcast to the public via live stream. Global climate talks are scheduled for November 1-12 in Glasgow.
The statement said the two countries have also agreed to discuss specific emission reduction measures, including energy storage, carbon capture and hydrogen. They said they would take action to maximize funding for developing countries to switch to low-carbon energy sources.
The Paris Accord encourages countries to submit more ambitious climate pledges if they are able to do so. China has already pledged reinforced measures as it strives to achieve its goal of becoming “carbon neutral” by 2060.
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