London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Thursday, Oct 23, 2025

U.S. and China agree to cooperate on climate crisis

U.S. and China agree to cooperate on climate crisis

The world's two biggest carbon emitters said in a statement that the climate crisis "must be addressed with the seriousness and urgency that it demands."

They have feuded recently over Hong Kong, the treatment the Uighur community and future of Taiwan, but the U.S. and China can agree on one thing — the fight against climate change.

Ahead of President Joe Biden's summit of world leaders to address the issue this week, the world's two biggest greenhouse gas emitters "committed to cooperating with each other and with other countries" to tackle the issue, a joint statement from the State Department and China’s Ministry of Ecology and Environment said late Saturday.

The agreement between Washington and Beijing was reached by John Kerry, the U.S. special envoy for climate, and his Chinese counterpart Xie Zhenhua during two days of talks in Shanghai last week, the statement said.



The United States and China are "to tackle the climate crisis, which must be addressed with the seriousness and urgency that it demands,” it added.

Together, they agreed to discuss specific emission reduction actions to decarbonize industry and power, including energy storage, carbon capture and green hydrogen, as well as increasing use of renewable energy, reducing emissions from coal, oil, and gas, and addressing emissions from international aviation, the statement added.

China is the world’s biggest carbon emitter, followed by the United States, and the statement said discussions had also focused on the need to maximise financing for developing countries to switch to low-carbon and renewable energy.

Biden made climate one of his key commitments in last year’s election campaign, pledging that the U.S. will achieve net-zero emissions no later than 2050.

He rejoined the 2015 Paris climate accord, a global pact to curb emissions, on the first day of his presidency. His predecessor Donald Trump pulled out of the agreement in 2017.

“Unfortunately, the U.S. became a renegade in the last four years under the non-leadership of President Trump," Kerry told British broadcaster Sky News in an interview conducted before the talks, but aired Sunday. "But we are now back and present with a very aggressive series of initiates in order to try to make up for lost time." (Sky News is owned by Comcast, the parent company of NBC News.)

Kerry arrived in Shanghai on Wednesday night under tight Covid-19 protocols. It was the first high-level visit to China by a Biden administration official. He subsequently traveled to Seoul, South Korea.

The cooperation on climate between Beijing and Washington comes amid tensions, including China’s human rights record particularly over its treatment of the Uighur community, the crackdown on Hong Kong's protest movement, trade disputes and territorial claims in the South China Sea. The issue of Taiwan's future has also seen tensions flare between the two superpowers.

Kerry told reporters in Seoul on Sunday that the language in the joint statement is “strong” and that the two countries agreed on “critical elements on where we have to go," the Associated Press reported Sunday.

But the former secretary of state added: “I learned in diplomacy that you don’t put your back on the words, you put on actions. We all need to see what happens.”



Biden has invited 40 world leaders, including Chinese President Xi Jinping, to his climate summit this week, as the world is gearing up for global climate talks in Glasgow, U.K., in November.

Nations, including the U.S., are expected to announce more ambitious national targets for cutting carbon emissions ahead of or at the summit.

Kerry told Sky News that the U.S. will be setting forth its plan to try to do its part, and hopes to raise the ambitions of other nations.

Asked if the U.S. can have a productive conservation with China on climate amid tensions with Beijing, Kerry was positive, saying: “Every nation has a stake in the outcome of the climate issue.”

Last year, China announced it aims to have carbon dioxide emissions peak before 2030 and achieve carbon neutrality before 2060, but critics say it needs to do more.

“We recognise China is essential to resolving this crisis," Kerry said.

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
US Administration Under President Donald Trump Reportedly Lifts Ban on Ukraine’s Use of Storm Shadow Missiles Against Russia
‘Frightening’ First Night in Prison for Sarkozy: Inmates Riot and Shout ‘Little Nicolas’
White House Announces No Imminent Summit Between Trump and Putin
US and Qatar Warn EU of Trade and Energy Risks from Tough Climate Regulation
Apple Challenges EU Digital Markets Act Crackdown in Landmark Court Battle
Nicolas Sarkozy begins five-year prison term at La Santé in Paris
Japan stocks surge to record as Sanae Takaichi becomes Prime Minister
This Is How the 'Heist of the Century' Was Carried Out at the Louvre in Seven Minutes: France Humiliated as Crown with 2,000 Diamonds Vanishes
China Warns UK of ‘Consequences’ After Delay to London Embassy Approval
France’s Wealthy Shift Billions to Luxembourg and Switzerland Amid Tax and Political Turmoil
"Sniper Position": Observation Post Targeting 'Air Force One' Found Before Trump’s Arrival in Florida
Shouting Match at the White House: 'Trump Cursed, Threw Maps, and Told Zelensky – "Putin Will Destroy You"'
Windows’ Own ‘Siri’ Has Arrived: You Can Now Talk to Your Computer
Thailand and Singapore Investigate Cambodian-Based Prince Group as U.S. and U.K. Sanctions Unfold
‘No Kings’ Protests Inflate Numbers — But History Shows Nations Collapse Without Strong Executive Power
Chinese Tech Giants Halt Stablecoin Launches After Beijing’s Regulatory Intervention
Manhattan Jury Holds BNP Paribas Liable for Enabling Sudanese Government Abuses
Trump Orders Immediate Release of Former Congressman George Santos After Commuting Prison Sentence
S&P Downgrades France’s Credit Rating, Citing Soaring Debt and Political Instability
Ofcom Rules BBC’s Gaza Documentary ‘Materially Misleading’ Over Narrator’s Hamas Ties
Diane Keaton’s Cause of Death Revealed as Pneumonia, Family Confirms
Former Lostprophets Frontman Ian Watkins Stabbed to Death in British Prison
"The Tsunami Is Coming, and It’s Massive": The World’s Richest Man Unveils a New AI Vision
Outsider, Heroine, Trailblazer: Diane Keaton Was Always a Little Strange — and Forever One of a Kind
Dramatic Development in the Death of 'Mango' Founder: Billionaire's Son Suspected of Murder
Two Years of Darkness: The Harrowing Testimonies of Israeli Hostages Emerging From Gaza Captivity
EU Moves to Use Frozen Russian Assets to Buy U.S. Weapons for Ukraine
Europe Emerges as the Biggest Casualty in U.S.-China Rare Earth Rivalry
HSBC Confronts Strategic Crossroads as NAB Seeks Only Retail Arm in Australia Exit
U.S. Chamber Sues Trump Over $100,000 H-1B Visa Fee
Shenzhen Expo Spotlights China’s Quantum Step in Semiconductor Self-Reliance
China Accelerates to the Forefront in Global Nuclear Fusion Race
Yachts, Private Jets, and a Picasso Painting: Exposed as 'One of the Largest Frauds in History'
Australia’s Wedgetail Spies Aid NATO Response as Russian MiGs Breach Estonian Airspace
McGowan Urges Chalmers to Cut Spending Over Tax Hike to Close $20 Billion Budget Gap
Victoria Orders Review of Transgender Prison Placement Amid Safety Concerns for Female Inmates
U.S. Treasury Mobilises New $20 Billion Debt Facility to Stabilise Argentina
French Business Leaders Decry Budget as Macron’s Pro-Enterprise Promise Undermined
Trump Claims Modi Pledged India Would End Russian Oil Imports Amid U.S. Tariff Pressure
Surging AI Startup Valuations Fuel Bubble Concerns Among Top Investors
Australian Punter Archie Wilson Tears Up During Nebraska Press Conference, Sparking Conversation on Male Vulnerability
Australia Confirms U.S. Access to Upgraded Submarine Shipyard Under AUKUS Deal
“Firepower” Promised for Ukraine as NATO Ministers Meet — But U.S. Tomahawks Remain Undecided
Brands Confront New Dilemma as Extremists Adopt Fashion Labels
The Sydney Sweeney and Jeans Storm: “The Outcome Surpassed Our Wildest Dreams”
Erika Kirk Delivers Moving Tribute at White House as Trump Awards Charlie Presidential Medal of Freedom
British Food Influencer ‘Big John’ Detained in Australia After Visa Dispute
ScamBodia: The Chinese Fraud Empire Shielded by Cambodia’s Ruling Elite
French PM Suspends Macron’s Pension Reform Until After 2027 in Bid to Stabilize Government
Orange, Bouygues and Free Make €17 Billion Bid for Drahi’s Altice France Telecom Assets
×