China, U.S. focus on climate in key annual dialogue

China and the United States Wednesday held a special meeting on climate change under the framework of the seventh round of the China-U.S. Strategic and Economic Dialogue (S&ED).

It is humanity's common task to combat climate change, Chinese Vice Premier Wang Yang said.

A change in development mode should be the focus, Wang said, adding that people should refrain from the production method of over-consuming resources and the environment, luxurious and wasteful lifestyles and the approach of first polluting the environment and then dealing with the problem later.

The battle against climate change offers opportunities as well as challenges, he said. And business opportunities could be found in industrial emission cuts, construction energy-saving, the development of clean energy and the cleaning-up and protection of the eco-environment.

Wang called for pragmatic cooperation between China and the United States in coal technology, nuclear technology, shale gas and renewable energy.

He urged the U.S. side to relax control over advanced technologies on energy-saving and emission reduction to push for more pragmatic cooperation results.

Chinese State Councilor Yang Jiechi said China and the United States share broad common interests and a huge potential for cooperation in dealing with climate change.

Important achievements have been made in their cooperation in this regard, which has become one of the highlights in their efforts to build a new model of major-country relations, he said.

Yang called on the two sides to expand their common ground as much as possible while adhering to the principles of "common but differentiated responsibilities" to push for a comprehensive and balanced result in the Paris climate talks later this year.

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry praised the sound cooperation between the United States and China in fighting climate change. He mentioned the joint declaration in Beijing by Chinese President Xi Jinping and U.S. President Barack Obama last year, which has clarified their countries' respective climate targets after 2020.

He believed the United States and China could play a leading role in the international arena and work together to achieve tangible progress in the Paris meeting.

Climate change is a challenge faced by the United States, China and every other country in the world, U.S. Treasury Secretary Jacob Lew said.

He pledged broader and deeper cooperation with China on climate change to ensure a sustained development of their national economies and the world economy. Endi