China hopes US rejoins Paris climate deal
China hopes the US will rejoin the Paris climate agreement and contribute to the global agenda on fighting climate change, a senior envoy said Tuesday.
“China is willing to step up cooperation with the US in climate change negotiations after the United States said it will stay in the talks, although it has withdrawn from the accord,” China’s Special Representative on Climate Change Xie Zhenhua told a press conference.
“China has made it clear that it is willing to enhance cooperation with the US in the areas of clean energy utilization, energy and resource conservation, carbon capture and storage, as well as other research and development,” he said.
The Paris Agreement, agreed on by almost every country in the world in 2015, aims to tackle climate change by cutting greenhouse gas emissions and sets a global target of keeping the average temperature rise no higher than 2 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels.
US President Donald Trump said in June that he had decided to pull his country out of the landmark global pact.
Xie made the remarks ahead of the 23rd UN Climate Change Conference in Bonn, Germany from November 6 to 17, where a guideline for the implementation of the Paris Agreement will be defined.
Speaking on expectations for the upcoming conference, Xie said China hopes participants can reach a draft guideline which reflects the needs of all parties and all the key elements in the agreement.
The draft guideline could lay the foundation for all parties to complete the negotiations on the implementation details of the agreement in 2018, he said.
Xie also underlined the need to review the implementation of countries’ pledges on tackling climate change before 2020.
At the conference, developed countries need to work out a timetable on fulfilling their promise to provide developing countries with funding and technology worth $100 billion every year leading up to 2020, Xie said.
“It will enable countries to build political trust and enhance confidence in the international community in fulfilling obligations and honoring commitments,” he said.