Desk Report
Published: 11 Nov 2021, 01:12 pm
Representational Image || Photo: Collected
The US and China surprised the COP26 climate summit on
Wednesday when representatives of the countries announced an agreement to ramp
up their climate ambitions, just days before the end of the conference in
Glasgow.
"There is more agreement between the US and China than
divergence, making it an area of huge potential for cooperation," China
climate envoy Xie Zhenhua said at a news conference. "The release of this
joint statement shows again that cooperation is the only choice for both China
and the United States. By working together our two countries can achieve many
important things that are beneficial not only to our two countries but the
world as a whole."
Xie did not commit China to the Global Methane Pledge, which
has been spearheaded by the US and EU and obliges signatories to slash methane
emissions by around a third. Nor did he commit the country to any other major
international agreements, saying China wanted "differentiated"
responsibilities.
However, Xie did say China intends to develop its own
national plan for methane, reports CNN.
"In terms of methane the United States has announced
... [a methane] action plan, and China intends to develop a national plan on
methane, and we will also encourage and enhance cooperation regarding methane
measurement and mitigation," Xie said.
He added the US and China are "committed to making our
cooperation more concrete and pragmatic and build on institutions and
mechanisms," and said both countries intend to establish a working group
on enhancing climate action in the 2020s.