China and the United States are committed to working together to tackle the climate crisis.
In a joint statement, the two countries have agreed to reduce emissions and to keep the Paris Agreement “within reach.”
"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,” the statement said.
Both nations also agreed to help developing countries finance a switch to low-carbon energy.
In a positive turnaround both countries have indicated they will accept the Kigali Amendment to the Montreal Protocol to phase down HFCs.
President Joe Biden has made it clear that the United States will become a signatory to the amendment while the Chinese president Xi Jinping announced China’s willingness to phase down HFCs in a video summit this week with French president Emmanuel Macron.
According to reports by the Xinhua News Agency, the official Chinese state-run press agency, Xi Jinping said: “Responding to climate change is the common cause of all mankind and should not be a bargaining chip for geopolitics, a target for attacking other countries, or an excuse for trade barriers.”
He went on to say: “It is hoped that developed economies will set an example in reducing emissions and take the lead in fulfilling their climate funding commitments, so as to provide adequate technical and capacity building support for developing countries to address climate change.”
Under the Kigali Amendment, countries agree to cut the production and consumption of HFCs by more than 80 per cent over the next 30 years.