China-US cooperation critical to future climate progress: WEF president

BEIJING -- Future cooperation between China and the United States, two largest economies in the world, be it in the area of climate change, biodiversity, trade, or technology, is critical, said World Economic Forum (WEF) President Borge Brende.

The two countries account for more than 40 percent of the global economy, said Brende in a recent interview with China News Service, highlighting the importance of China-US cooperation in implementing the Paris Agreement.

He deemed China's commitment of striving to peak carbon dioxide emissions before 2030 and achieve carbon neutrality before 2060 "ambitious" and "realistic" goals, and emphasized that the transition to a low-carbon economy for China and the rest of the world will have to take place in the years to come.

Hailing China's achievements in poverty alleviation, Brende said it is now important to find ways to continue inclusive growth and secure development, but also "decouple" the economic growth from an increase in greenhouse gas emissions.

"I'm sure that China will be able to deal with this dilemma as well as this decoupling, as the country has been able to deal with other challenges in its past," Brende said.

Apart from tackling climate change, he also called for strengthening global cooperation in the fields of pollution treatment, biodiversity protection and trade, noting that "the only way moving forward is to realize that we are in the same boat and we have to collaborate."

In regards to trade, Brende urged efforts to change the situation of insufficient investments in ports, railways and roads, and strengthen the negotiating arm of the World Trade Organization moving forward.

"I think China and the United States will play a very important role in breaking the impasse we have seen on the trade front during the past years," said Brende.