China, US climate vow could make a world of difference

China and the United States are committed to cooperating on the pressing issue of climate change, the two sides said, issuing the pledge days ahead of a key summit hosted by President Joe Biden.

The joint statement came after a trip to Shanghai by US climate envoy John Kerry, the first official from Biden's administration to visit China, signaling hopes the two sides could work together on the global challenge despite sky-high tensions on multiple other fronts.

But to achieve the global climate goal, Kerry said words must be put into action and urged China to reduce its use of coal.

"The United States and China are committed to cooperating with each other and with other countries to tackle the climate crisis, which must be addressed with the seriousness and urgency that it demands," said the statement from Kerry and China's special envoy for climate change, Xie Zhenhua.

It listed avenues of climate cooperation between the world's top two economies which together account for nearly half of the greenhouse gas emissions responsible for climate change.

It stressed "enhancing their respective actions and cooperating in multilateral processes, including the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change and the Paris Agreement."

Both countries also look forward to a virtual climate summit of world leaders that Biden will host next week, though the statement did not say if President Xi Jinping would attend.

"We very much hope he will take part," Kerry said in South Korea yesterday.

"Of course, every country will make its own decisions. We're not seeking to force anybody. We're seeking cooperation."

China currently has about half of the world's coal power, Kerry said.

Biden has made climate a top priority, turning the page from single-term president Donald Trump, who was closely aligned with the fossil fuel industry.

Biden has rejoined the 2015 Paris accord, which Kerry negotiated when he was secretary of state, and committed nations to taking action to keep the temperature from rising no more than 2 degrees Celsius above preindustrial levels.

Biden hopes his summit will result in stronger pledges before United Nations-led climate talks in Glasgow.