Climate change envoys for China, US hold talks

Xie Zhenhua, China's special envoy for climate change, spoke with his United States counterpart John Kerry via video on Wednesday, according to a media release from the Ministry of Ecology and Environment.

Xie and Kerry exchanged ideas on the implementation of a consensus reached in Bali, Indonesia, and discussed cooperation on promoting a global multilateral effort to address climate change, the release said.

The two sides agreed to hold further talks as both China and the US are striving to cope with the problem, it added.

China suspended climate talks with the US in August to protest then-US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's visit to Taiwan.

Before the Wednesday talks, Xie and Kerry had held formal consultations on the sidelines of the COP27 United Nations climate change conference in Egypt in November.

The consultations happened soon after President Xi Jinping and US President Joe Biden had a candid and in-depth exchange of views on Nov 14 on issues of strategic importance in China-US relations and on major global and regional issues ahead of the G20 Summit in Bali.

It is in the interest of both countries to promote the global recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic, tackle climate change and resolve regional issues through China-US coordination and cooperation, Xi said during the meeting.

Biden said the US is committed to keeping the channels of communication open between the two presidents and at all levels of government, in order to strengthen necessary cooperation and play a key role in addressing climate change, food security and other important global challenges.