China and the United States have announced plans to establish a working group on climate cooperation, aiming to deepen communication and address strained relations. The announcement comes ahead of a meeting between Chinese President Xi Jinping and US President Joe Biden on the sidelines of the APEC summit in California.
Amidst trade tensions, sanctions, and disputes over Taiwan, climate action is positioned as a potential area for collaboration. US and Chinese climate envoys, John Kerry and Xie Zhenhua, held discussions from November 4-7 at the Sunnylands retreat in California to revive stalled cooperation.
In a joint statement released by the US State Department and published in Chinese state media, the working group will focus on key climate-related areas such as “energy transition, methane, circular economy and resource efficiency, low-carbon and sustainable provinces/states and cities, and deforestation.” The goal is to engage in dialogue and cooperation to accelerate tangible climate actions.
The two nations pledged to collaborate with other parties and address the significant challenges of climate change for present and future generations. Additionally, they committed to restarting bilateral dialogues on energy policies and strategies, with an emphasis on energy-saving and carbon-reducing solutions.
A notable aspect of the collaboration is the initiation of a technical working group on methane reduction, with China being the world’s largest emitter of the gas. While China recently unveiled a broad plan to control methane emissions, the joint statement emphasizes the development of specific reduction actions and targets for inclusion in their 2035 emission-cutting plans.
The announcement also reiterates the commitment of both countries to the 2015 Paris climate accord goals, aiming to limit global warming to “well below” 2 degrees Celsius and pursuing efforts to restrict the increase to 1.5 degrees.
With the COP28 summit approaching in Dubai later this month, the success of global climate efforts hinges significantly on cooperation between the US and China, the world’s leading greenhouse gas emitters.
President Biden characterized the upcoming meeting with President Xi as an opportunity to improve relations, emphasizing the goal of enhancing communication and returning to a more collaborative relationship between the two nations.
Sources By Agencies
