U.S. climate envoy John Kerry told China’s top diplomat Wang Yi on Tuesday that he hopes addressing the threat of climate change can be a path of cooperation between the two countries.
"We are very hopeful that this can be the beginning, not just of a conversation between you and me and us on the climate track, but that we can begin to change the broader relationship," Kerry told Wang during a visit to Beijing.
The U.S. State Department said Kerry emphasized the need for China to “accelerate decarbonization, reduce methane emissions, and address deforestation.”
The United States and China are the world’s top greenhouse gas emitters.
Wang said China believes the two countries can “find a proper solution to any problem” through renewed dialogue.
Kerry also met Tuesday with Chinese Premier Li Qiang, who said the U.S. and China should strengthen coordination to address the “daunting challenge” of climate change.
Tuesday’s talks followed a meeting Monday between Kerry and his Chinese counterpart Xie Zhenhua.
Kerry is the latest U.S. official to travel to Beijing in recent months amid a push to improve relations, following the trips of Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen.
Some information for this report came from The Associated Press, Agence France-Presse and Reuters.
