BEIJING: China and the United States held climate talks via a video conference on Friday. It was co-chaired by China’s Special Envoy for Climate Change Xie Zhenhua and U.S. Special Presidential Envoy for Climate John Kerry, according to China’s Ministry of Ecology and Environment.
The working group was initiated to implement the consensus reached between the two heads of state at their San Francisco meeting and strengthen cooperation between China and the United States in response to climate change, the Chinese ministry said in a statement.
The two sides spoke highly of the successful start of the working group and conducted in-depth and friendly communication on key cooperation areas such as energy transition, methane, circular economy, and low-carbon provinces, states and cities, the statement read.
It added that both parties agreed to continue to maintain close communication, conduct exchanges, learn from each other and deepen practical cooperation under the working group mechanism in accordance with the consensus enshrined in the Sunnylands Statement on Enhancing Cooperation to Address the Climate Crisis.
The ministry also announced that due to health reasons, Xie has stepped down from his position as China’s special envoy for climate change. Liu Zhenmin, former vice-minister of foreign affairs, has been appointed as Xie’s successor.
