China and US agree to co-operate on climate change

China and the United States have unexpectedly agreed to strengthen their co-operation on cutting greenhouse gases and have pledged to reduce emissions, raising the possibility of a deal on climate change in Paris next year.

A joint statement was issued after secret talks between President Xi Jinping and President Barack Obama at the Zhongnanhai leadership compound in central Beijing. Mr Obama was in the Chinese capital for an official state visit following a major regional summit, the Asia-Pacific Economic Co-operation (Apec).

“We agreed to make sure that international climate change negotiations will reach an agreement in Paris,” the Chinese president told reporters.

The announcement came on what has become known as an “Apec Blue” day, as the skies over the capital were clear following frantic efforts to combat smog in the run-up to the crucial regional meeting, such as closing coal-fired power plants, shuttering factories and restricting traffic.

As the world’s two biggest economies, China and the US are the world’s two largest polluters, producing about 45 per cent of the world’s carbon dioxide between them.

Nations are due to try and find a global deal on emissions at the United Nations Climate Conference in the French capital next year and environmental groups have been looking for leadership from the two main drivers of climate change.

In the joint communiqué, the presidents said the US and China had “a critical role to play in combating global climate change, one of the greatest threats facing humanity”.

China has agreed a target for its emissions to peak by 2030, although it did not give a precise percentage, having previously said it would reduce its carbon intensity by up to 45 per cent by 2020 from 2005 levels.

The US has agreed to step up the pace of its efforts to combat climate change, setting a fresh target of reducing by 26 per cent to 28 per cent by 2025, compared with 2005 levels.

Mr Obama described the deal as a “major milestone in the US-China relationship”. “It shows what’s possible when we work together on an urgent global challenge,” he said.

The pledge to seek agreement is seen as a positive step.

UN secretary general Ban Ki-moon said the joint statement was “an important contribution” to the new climate agreement to be reached in Paris next year.

However, many challenges remain. China has given few concrete details on how it will go about cutting emissions, as it remains committed to using coal power for the lion's share of its energy needs. Mr Obama needs to get his part of the deal past the Republican Party, which has already promised to reverse any pledges once it controls the Senate next year.

Both Beijing and Washington DC have been keen to show evidence of easing tensions between the two superpowers. "China would like to work with the US to implement the principle of no conflict, no confrontation, mutual respect, cooperation and common prosperity," Mr Xi said, saying he wanted to keep in close contact with his American counterpart.

Other agreements included efforts to reduce the chances of military accidents in the air and sea. In a statement issued on the official news agency Xinhua, Mr Xi outlined six priorities in improving relations, including communication between high-level officials, mutual respect, co-operation in all aspects, management of disputes, collaboration in the Asia-Pacific and joint actions on global challenges.

"China is willing to work with the US on regional hotspots, such as the Iran nuclear issue, denuclearisation of the Korean peninsula and Afghanistan, as well as global issues like counterterrorism, climate change and epidemic control," Mr Xi said.