China, US sign pacts on climate change

China and the United States have reached agreement on a series of partnership projects, ranging from clean coal power generation technology to carbon capture and storage, on the eve of the sixth US-China Strategic and Economic Dialogue.

The two countries' cooperation on issues related to energy, environment and climate change has become a prominent element of the S&ED talks, as well as a positive contributor to the new model of Sino-US relations, Xie Zhenhua, vice-minister of the National Development and Reform Commission, said at the signing ceremony on Tuesday.

"These pragmatic cooperative projects between China and the US on tackling climate change send a positive signal not only to China and the US, but also to the rest of the world," Xie said.

The world is making efforts toward designing a global agreement on climate change in 2015.

Todd Stern, the special envoy for climate change at the US State Department, said President Xi Jinping and US President Barack Obama have both attached great importance to the two nations' collaboration on addressing climate change.

Strong progress has been made in Sino-US government and industrial joint efforts on emissions reduction and energy security, he said.

The US-China Climate Change Working Group has mobilized resources to make eight projects happen, including collaboration on clean coal power generation technology by Huaneng Clean Energy Research Institute and Summit Power Group LLC; and Northern Shaanxi industrialized demonstration of ultra-cleaning technology by Yanchang Petroleum Corp, Air Products and Chemicals and West Virginia University.

There will be a specific session for climate change during the 6th US-China Strategic and Economic Dialogue on Wednesday and Thursday.

Six new eco-partnerships have been chosen for this year, including ones between Shanghai Municipal Transportation Commission and Port of Los Angeles, Tianjin Economic Technological Development Area and the Commerce Department of Philadelphia, and Shenzhen Low-carbon Development Foundation and Environmental Defense Fund.

US Under Secretary of State Catherine Novelli said the initiatives have integrated governments, academia, civil society and the private sectors from both sides to address climate change and air pollution.

Shi Yulong, a researcher at the Academy of Macroeconomic Research under the NDRC, said 30 partnerships have been selected to date to enhance cooperation on preventing air pollution, mitigating greenhouse gas emissions and increasing energy efficiency.