China-US Graphic: GT

Cooperation on climate between China and the US cannot be separated from overall environment of Sino-US relations, Xie Feng, Chinese Ambassador to the US said on Wednesday, noting that seeking cooperation in dialogue while harming the interests of others, building roads while digging pits, is clearly not feasible.

The remarks were made in addressing US-China High-Level Event on Subnational Climate Action hosted in Berkeley, US on Wednesday.

Xie said that looking back over the past decade, China and the US have worked together to promote the international community to reach the milestone document of the Paris Agreement. However, in recent years, due to well-known reasons, cooperation between the two countries on climate change has stalled. But in the past two years, China and the US have restarted climate cooperation, said Xie, noting that this winding journey reveals a simple truth, that climate cooperation between China and the US cannot be separated from the overall environment of the bilateral relationship.

The world is experiencing the same climate changes. Faced with these challenges, the fate of all countries is intertwined, and cooperation is the only way to win-win, as a zero-sum game will result in mutual loss, said the ambassador.

Those who are obsessed with competing with China in the "critical decade" should understand that we are facing a critical decade in addressing the climate crisis and avoiding global disasters together, said Xie.

He noted that it is precisely because China is vigorously developing renewable energy that the cost of wind power has decreased by 80 percent and the cost of solar power has decreased by 90 percent globally. Countries around the world are looking forward to China producing more high-quality new energy products.

Xie said that at a time when the world is facing a severe shortage of green energy capacity and challenges in global energy transition, smearing China's green products as "overcapacity" under the guise of competition and promoting protectionism is harming the common interests of all mankind.

Earlier this month, US President Joe Biden slapped major new tariffs on Chinese electric vehicles, advanced batteries, solar cells, steel, aluminum and medical equipment, claiming that Chinese government subsidies ensure the nation's companies don't have to turn a profit, giving them an unfair advantage in global trade.

Xie emphasized that China is an action-oriented country in response to climate change. We adhere to our commitments and adhere to the path of green, low-carbon and sustainable development. Our installed capacity of renewable energy exceeds that of fossil energy, and we are one of the countries with the fastest reduction in energy intensity in the world. We will achieve carbon peaking to carbon neutrality in the shortest time in global history, Xie said.

As the largest developing country and the largest developed country, China and the US have their own strengths in energy transformation, circular economy, and other areas. We can complement each other's advantages and make up for each other's shortcomings. The potential for cooperation between China and the US in climate change is huge and the prospects are broad, he said.

Delivering a speech in video format, China's special envoy for climate change Liu Zhenmin said at the event that addressing climate change is an important area of cooperation between China and California. Over the years, California has worked closely with China's National Development and Reform Commission, Ministry of Ecology and Environment, and local governments to achieve positive results. A long-term and stable cooperation mechanism has been established in areas such as climate change, environmental regulations, and standards exchange.

Liu expects the event at Berkeley can promote both sides to continue to carry out practical cooperation in multiple fields and at multiple levels, and making contributions to global climate change. He emphasized that in the face of the challenges of climate change, China is willing to work with the US to uphold multilateral consensus, focus on practical actions, accelerate green transformation, and work together to address global climate change.

Global Times