Update | Climate change efforts show how China, US can resolve differences: negotiator
Xie Zhenhua’s comments come as two sides’ top officials meet in Beijing to discuss range of issues, including tensions over China’s territorial claims in the South China Sea
China and the United States’ cooperation in tackling climate change is an example of how they can work together to resolve their differences, Beijing’s top climate change negotiator said on Monday.
The way the two had cooperated on the issue was a model example of the new type of relationship sought by President Xi Jinping, said Xie Zhenhua.
Xie was speaking on the sidelines of the annual Strategic and Economic Dialogue between top US and Chinese leaders, which is under way in Beijing.
The two sides are discussing issues including rising tensions between Beijing and Washington over China’s territorial claims in the South China Sea.
“[As long as we can] increase mutual understanding, build mutual trust and respect each other’s core interests and major concerns, we can always find solutions to our differences,” Xie said.
The climate deal negotiator dedicated much of his 30-minute briefing to lauding how leaders had worked together on the issue.
Their cooperation included three joint statements by Xi and Barack Obama since 2014 that laid some of the foundations for a climate deal in Paris last year.
Ensuring the Paris agreement went into force as soon as possible would be a major task for China and the US this year, Xie said.
“Cooperation on climate change between the two countries is a highlight in the new type of major power relations, as well as an exemplar of a new global governance system,” he said.
The countries decided to bury the hatchet and stop challenging and blaming each other during climate talks after the failure of the 2009 Copenhagen summit to reach a global deal.
Since Xi took office three years ago he has called for a “new type of major power relations”, based on cooperation and respect, to govern China-US ties. Washington’s response has been lukewarm.
Xie said China would encourage more countries’ initiatives on new energy, energy efficiency and carbon emission reduction when it hosted the G20 meeting of major economies later this year.
US Treasury Secretary Jake Lew said the US would work with China on new green finance initiatives that China would launch during its G20 presidency.
“We can only reach the unprecedented levels of funding needed for climate financing by using a variety of channels, including development finance institutions, direct bilateral assistance, the multilateral development banks and new funds, such as the Green Climate Fund and China’s South-South Climate Cooperation Fund,” he said.
