In a joint statement released on Sunday, Washington and Beijing said the climate crisis “must be addressed with seriousness and urgency” and agreed to work together to “strengthen” the implementation of the Paris Agreement.
“The United States and China will continue to discuss, both on the road to COP 26 and beyond, concrete actions in the 2020s to reduce emissions aimed at keeping the Paris Agreement-aligned temperature limit within reach,” the statement said.
The announcement followed two days of talks between US Special Presidential Envoy for Climate John Kerry and China Special Envoy for Climate Change Xie Zhenhua in Shanghai on Thursday and Friday.
In a statement Sunday, China’s Ministry of Ecology and Environment said the talks between Kerry and Xie had been “candid, in-depth and constructive.”
“Both sides recognize that climate change is a serious and urgent threat to the survival and development of mankind,” the ministry said, adding that China and the US “will strengthen cooperation, work together with other parties to address the climate crisis.”
The ministry also said the two countries will “further strengthen exchanges and cooperation in areas such as strengthening policy measures, promoting green and low-carbon transitions, and supporting the energy and low-carbon development of developing countries.”