US and China pledge to work together on climate change after John Kerry visit
- Countries issue joint statement after US special envoy’s visit to Shanghai, where he met his Chinese counterpart Xie Zhenhua
- Pledge comes ahead of Earth Day leaders’ summit to be hosted by US President Joe Biden
The two countries had already committed to the Paris deal, which aims to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in an effort to limit the global temperature increase this century to 2 degrees Celsius above preindustrial levels, while pursuing the means to limit the increase to 1.5 degrees.
The statement was released by China’s Ministry of Ecology and Environment and the US Department of State.
Li Shuo, senior global policy adviser for Greenpeace East Asia, said the statement highlighted the commitment of both the US and China to work together to tackle the climate crisis.
“It is a firm step towards cooperation amid great geopolitical challenges. The statement underlined the need for near term ambitious actions and will launch a process of continued G2 engagement on an existential issue of global interest,” he said.
“It will also provide impetus into the upcoming Biden climate summit. The world have seen how much could be accomplished if the G2 are united. This joint statement should put global climate momentum back on high gear.”
China said it was looking forward to raising global climate ambitions on mitigation, adaptation and support ahead of the 26th United Nations Climate Change Conference of the Parties (COP 26), which will be held in Glasgow in November.
Zou Ji, chief executive and president of the non-profit Energy Foundation China, said the joint statement showed the accountability and willingness of China and the US to tackle the climate crisis but both governments must work harder from now on to implement concrete actions and deepen their cooperation.
“Restarting climate change cooperation for China and the US carries a far-reaching global impact,” he said. “It’s not just about paving the way for COP 26 and the Paris Agreement but also about restarting both governments’ strategic and policy dialogues.”
Calls for US, China to work together and ‘set example’ on climate change
Despite Beijing’s aims and ambitions, Chinese vice-foreign minister Le Yucheng said on Friday that the country was unlikely to make any new pledges at the Earth Day summit, according to Associated Press.
“For a big country with 1.4 billion people, these goals are not easily delivered,” he said. “Some countries are asking China to achieve the goals earlier. I am afraid this is not very realistic.”
On whether Chinese President Xi Jinping would join the summit, Le repeated the earlier response that China was “studying the matter”.
A person familiar with the situation told the South China Morning Post last week that Xi was expected to attend the summit.
China attaches great importance to dialogue and cooperation with the US on climate change and expects it to shoulder more responsibility.
According to experts, Beijing regards Washington’s demands on climate as part of its grand strategy to curb China’s economic growth and force Beijing to give up its energy-intensive, highly polluting development model.
Both China and the US have committed to developing – before COP 26 – their long-term strategies for achieving carbon neutrality or net zero greenhouse gas emissions. They have also agreed to discuss concrete actions to reduce emissions.
