Foreign trade, human rights, Myanmar, North Korea. The United States and China are particularly far apart on numerous high-profile issues. Perhaps, however, the foundations of a renewed collaboration between Washington and Beijing could be built on the fight against climate change.

United States and China committed "to cooperating with seriousness and urgency" on climate

On Saturday 17 April, delegations from the world's two leading economic powers met specifically to discuss how to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. At the end of the meeting, in a joint statement signed by the United States Special Presidential Envoy for Climate, John Kerry, and his Chinese counterpart, Xie Zhenhua, the two nations' diplomatic representatives declared in a joint communiqué that they wished "to commit to cooperating together, and also with other countries, to tackle the climate crisis, which must be addressed with the seriousness and urgency it requires".

The two officials also declared their intention to "strengthen their respective actions within a multilateral framework, starting with the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (Unfccc) and the Paris Agreement". To that end, the United States and China state their intention to "develop a long-term strategy" for achieving carbon neutrality — that is, the elimination of net CO2 emissions. This strategy is expected to be presented ahead of COP26 in Glasgow, which is due to take place (barring any surprises) in November of this year.

Former Chinese Environment Minister Xie Zhenhua during COP21 in Paris, in 2015 © Thierry Chesnot/Getty Images

Broad agreements also reached on financing for developing countries

During the summit, the two sides also agreed on the need to increase investments and international financing to support the transition to clean energy in developing countries. The progressive phase-out of the production and consumption of hydrofluorocarbons — gases used mainly in refrigerators, air-conditioning systems and aerosols — was also identified as a priority.

The aim is therefore to establish road maps for reducing CO2 emissions from industries and energy production systems, by increasing the share of renewables. But China and the United States also want to give fresh impetus to the development of sustainable mobility and agriculture that is environmentally responsible and resilient in the face of climate change.

John Kerry is the first official of the Biden era to visit China

From a political standpoint, it is also significant that Kerry is the first official of the administration led by Joe Biden to make an official visit to China. While it remains to be seen whether words will translate into concrete action, the choice inevitably marks a diametrically opposite shift from the policies pursued by former US president Donald Trump during his term in office.