Talks between U.S., China on climate change reach positive outcome

The talks between Xie Zhenhua, China's special envoy for climate change, and his United States counterpart John Kerry have yielded "positive outcomes", according to a media release from China's Ministry of Ecology and Environment.

Teams from the two sides concluded the talks in California on Wednesday, it said.

The talks were originally scheduled to take place from Saturday to Tuesday.

Both sides fully and extensively exchanged views on implementing the spirit of the meeting between their respective leaders in Bali, Indonesia last year, the release said.

President Xi Jinping and U.S. President Joe Biden had a candid and in-depth exchange of views on Nov 14 last year on issues of strategic importance in China-U.S. 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-U.S. coordination and cooperation, Xi said during the meeting.

The Thursday release said the meeting between the two countries' climate envoys achieved positive outcomes on carrying out bilateral cooperation and actions on tackling climate change, as well as jointly promoting the success of the COP28 United Nations climate change conference, which will be held in the United Arab Emirate from Nov 30 to Dec 12.