China's State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi, France's Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian and United Nations (UN) Secretary General António Guterres at the press briefing on climate change on the sidelines of the G20 Summit on Saturday in Osaka, Japan. Photo：Li Xuanmin/GT

 
China has called for a multilateral approach and urged every nation to carry out its responsibility in coping with global climate change at a meeting with France and United Nations (UN) Secretary General António Guterres on Saturday in Osaka, Japan.

The trilateral meeting was held ahead of a scheduled meeting between Chinese President Xi Jinping and US President Donald Trump later on Saturday amid an escalation of China-US trade tensions. In 2017, President Donald Trump  withdrew the US from the Paris Agreement, drawing widespread criticism.

"Every country should take responsibility to keep their promise and carry out their responsibilities based on the Paris Agreement. Climate change is a global challenge, and there's no other choice for us except for 'crossing the river in the same boat' and a multilateral approach to fight for the Earth," China's State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi said at a press conference on  the sidelines of the G20 Summit on Saturday morning. 

Wang also urged developed nations to carry out their pledge to provide $100 billion a year by 2020 to developing nations for environment-friendly technology transfer so as to help them improve their ability to tackle climate change.

In response, Guterres said at the press briefing that the UN supports China's "multilateral approach in relation to climate change" and praised the commitment of China and France to the Paris accord. France's Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian noted that the meeting will further accelerate global efforts in dealing with climate change and contribute to the building of a global carbon trading system. 

The meeting also sent a signal to the US about China's stance and the country's ability to align with other partners who also support a multilateral mechanism based on common interests, some observers said. It is also a response from China on the US recent hardline rhetoric on Chinese issues.

"Everyone knows that," Wang said following the conclusion of the press briefing, after reporters asked about US not cooperating with other nations on global climate change.