US, China commit to climate cooperation

US, China commit to climate cooperation

WASHINGTON: The United States and China are "committed to cooperating“ on the pressing issue of climate change, the two sides said Saturday, issuing the pledge days ahead of a key summit hosted by President Joe Biden. The joint statement came after a trip to Shanghai by US climate envoy John Kerry, the first official from Biden's administration to visit China, signaling hopes the two sides could work together on the global challenge despite sky-high tensions on multiple other fronts.

But to achieve the global climate goal, Kerry said words must be put into action and urged China to reduce its use of coal. "The United States and China are committed to cooperating with each other and with other countries to tackle the climate crisis, which must be addressed with the seriousness and urgency that it demands,“ said the statement from Kerry and China's special envoy for climate change Xie Zhenhua.

It listed multiple avenues of climate cooperation between the world's top two economies which together account for nearly half of the greenhouse gas emissions responsible for climate change. It stressed "enhancing their respective actions and cooperating in multilateral processes, including the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change and the Paris Agreement.“

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