Chinese and American flags move outside an American company building in Beijing, China, on 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 a new round of international talks later this 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 U.S. counterpart John Kerry in Shanghai on Thursday and Friday, China’s environment ministry said.
“The United States and China are committed to cooperating with each other and with other countries to address the climate crisis,” their joint statement said. The two countries will continue to discuss “concrete actions during the 2020s to reduce emissions aimed at keeping the temperature limit aligned with the Paris Agreement within reach.”
Kerry arrived in Shanghai on Wednesday night under strict COVID-19 protocols and was taken to a secluded hotel that was not open to the public. He later traveled to Seoul.
His stop in Shanghai was the first high-level visit to China by a Biden administration official since the new president took office, followed by a controversial exchange between officials from the two countries in the United States. March in Alaska.
The talks also mark the resumption of climate dialogue between the world’s two largest emitters of greenhouse gases. Bilateral discussions stalled during the Donald Trump administration, which withdrew from the 2015 Paris agreement after claiming it was unfairly punishing American companies.
The United States is expected to soon make a new promise to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in the United States in an attempt to regain the trust of foreign allies. Biden returned to the United States in the Paris climate deal.
Li Shuo, a senior climate adviser to environmental group Greenpeace, said China could soon respond to a new American promise with its own, based on the “momentum” of the Shanghai talks.
“In my opinion, the statement is as positive as the policy would allow: it sends a very unequivocal message that it will cooperate on this particular issue (China and the United States). Before the Shanghai meetings this was not a message we could take over, ”Li said.
Biden will hold a virtual summit for dozens of world leaders this week to discuss climate change, which will be broadcast live for public viewing. Global climate talks are scheduled for November 1-12 in Glasgow.
The statement indicates that the two countries also agreed to discuss specific emissions reduction actions, including energy storage, carbon capture and hydrogen. They said they would take steps to maximize funding for developing countries to switch to low-carbon energy sources.
The Paris agreement encourages countries to make more ambitious climate commitments if they are able to do so. China has already promised improved action as it tries to meet its goal of becoming “carbon neutral” by 2060.
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