A meeting of the US-China Working Group on Enhancing Climate Action in the 2020s, co-led by US Senior Advisor to the President for International Climate Policy John Podesta and China’s Special Envoy for Climate Change Liu Zhenmin, discussed cooperation to promote a successful UN Climate Change Conference (UNFCCC COP 29) in Baku, Azerbaijan, and expressed their intention to engage in “technical and policy exchanges” on several issues.

The two sides carried out in-depth discussions on areas identified in the Sunnylands Statement in 2023, including energy transition, methane and other non-carbon dioxide (CO2) greenhouse gases (GHGs), circular economy and resource efficiency, deforestation, and low-carbon and sustainable provinces, states, and cities. They exchanged experiences and discussed challenges with their respective climate policies and actions, “with a view to responding meaningfully to the climate crisis and beyond.”

The two sides welcomed the call in the COP 28 Outcome of the First Global Stocktake (GST) for countries to submit “on time” their 2035 nationally determined contributions (NDCs) that are economy-wide, cover all GHGs, and are aligned with the 1.5°C goal of the Paris Agreement on climate change, expressing their “intention to engage in related technical and policy exchange.”

The two sides recalled the US’ plan to achieve 100% clean power by 2035 and China’s intent to phase down coal consumption during the 15th Five Year Plan and accelerate renewables deployment, and expressed their collective intention to “intensify technical and policy exchanges” on realizing these goals.

The two sides announced their intention to host a second Methane and Non-CO2 Greenhouse Gases Summit at COP 29. Noting the Methane Alert and Response System of the UN Environment Programme’s (UNEP) International Methane Emissions Observatory, they committed to promote bilateral cooperation and capacity building on abatement technologies and monitoring, reporting, and verification (MRV) systems, with the aim of achieving “significant methane emissions control and reductions in the 2020s.” Technical cooperation and capacity building for measurement and abatement solutions of other non-CO2 GHGs are also envisioned.

The two sides further recognized the importance of circular economy and resource efficiency in tackling the climate crisis. Technical exchanges on circular economy, including food loss and waste reduction, textiles, and recycling standards are anticipated.

The US-China Working Group on Enhancing Climate Action in the 2020s met from 8-9 May 2024 in Washington, D.C., US. The two sides plan to reconvene for the US-China High-level Event on Subnational Climate Action in Berkeley, CA, US, from 29-30 May 2024. [US State Department Press Release]